


Manifesto Fantasy

by ArcherAnders



Series: Archer and Anders [5]
Category: Dragon Age
Genre: Bondage, Dom/sub, Humor, M/M, Rimming, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-06
Updated: 2011-09-06
Packaged: 2017-10-23 11:31:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/249829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcherAnders/pseuds/ArcherAnders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anders' ultimate fantasy is to have his brains fucked out while being read excerpts from his Manifesto.  Hawke agrees :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Manifesto Fantasy

"Do you want to pet the ki-ki-i-"

"Just sound it out."

"Kit-ty?"

"Excellent," Archer Hawke said with a smile. He was sitting in the library next to Fenris, and they were having their second reading lesson. Usually, the dark-haired warrior did his best to keep the elf out of his house, but Anders had been working late nights at his clinic lately, and he figured it wouldn't be a problem.

"This book is undermining my intelligence, Hawke," the lyrium-tattooed warrior said in his low rumble of a voice.

"We just have to start small before we can jump into something more challenging. You'll be reading Isabela's novels before you know it."

"I am already quite familiar with the content," Fenris admitted.

"Somehow I don't doubt that," Hawke replied. "Did she ever talk to you about when she slept with me?"

"Only to tell me that I was more skilled than you."

"Ouc-oh my sweet baby!" Hawke reached down from his seat to pet his furry friend who had just come trotting into the room. He picked up the tabby and set him into his lap. Mittens had grown up so much since he had been gifted to Anders. He was nearly old enough to be called a cat rather than a kitten.

"What happened to you hating that thing?" Fenris asked.

"I never hated Guard Captain Mittens, I just didn't like him at first. But whatever you do, don't tell Anders because I'm still pretending that I can't stand the little beast." He happily stroked the dark orange fur, causing the cat to begin purring and kneading into his leg.

"You needn't worry about me talking to that abomination."

"Hey, now. That's _my_ abomination you're talking about," Hawke corrected.

"I'm nobody's abomination."

Hawke yelped as he heard Anders, and looked over to see the mage, scowling face and all, standing in the doorway. The warrior pushed the cat off of his lap and straightened himself up. "It's not what it looked like, I swear! I was just giving Fenris a blowjob!"

The mage rolled his eyes, ignoring his lover and looking over at the elf. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting a blowjob!"

"Archer, shut up," Anders insisted.

"I was reading a book. A very challenging read, and I was here asking Hawke for opinions on a certain passage."

"Uh-huh," the mage replied, looking over at the book on the desk. The colorful pictures were enough to give it away. "Well, let me know how you feel about the climactic ending where someone, indeed, pets the kitty." With that, he turned to exit the library.

"Don't worry about him, Fenris," Hawke said, closing the book on the table. "He's just jealous that you can read at all. He acts all smart, but his manifesto is really nothing but pictures and scribbles. I'll need to teach him to read too."

"Goodnight, Hawke," the elf said as he got up from his seat. He walked briskly out of the library and then out of the estate altogether.

Hawke sighed and got up as well. Then he looked down at his leg where a purring Mittens was rubbing against his heels. "You blew our cover so I'm breaking up with you. Find some other lap to sit on when Anders isn't home." The cat didn't seem to get the hint and continued to coat the man's trouser leg in short orange hairs. The warrior gently pushed him away and then walked out of the library to find his lover.

After desperately trying to avoid conversations with a servant elf and not one, but two dwarves, Hawke took the steps upstairs in twos and made his way to his bedroom. Once he entered the room, he noticed a fire had been freshly lit and that Anders had decided to shed all of his clothing onto the bedroom floor. As Hawke walked towards the washroom, he was pleased to see that a single sock had actually made it into the dirty clothes basket. _Well, that's an improvement._ He then walked into the bathroom and saw that Anders was now soaking in their large copper bath tub.

"You didn't even invite me?" the warrior asked.

Anders peered over at him and smiled weakly as he worked to scrub some blood off of his left forearm. "No, and I'm not about to extend an offer."

"Why not? I could be filthy for all you know, and it would be a waste of water not to include me."

"If you get in here with me, you'll just have your way with me and neither of us will even remember to wash ourselves," Anders replied.

"So you're saying you don't want to have sex with me? What, did I suddenly become unattractive?" The warrior rushed over to the mirror and gave his body and face a good scrutinizing. "Nope, still hot."

Anders smiled as he rinsed his hair. "You're gorgeous as ever, Love. I'm just really not up for it right now."

"Don't use the 'I have a headache' excuse because I know you can heal those away."

"Hand me a towel, please. And it's not that, I'm just utterly exhausted," the mage admitted. He stood up, took the towel that the other man handed to him and did his best to dry his upper half. As he went to step out of the bath, he slipped onto the tile and nearly crashed into the ground, but Hawke was there to grab him by the arm. "Shit! Sorry."

"This is so not fair," the warrior said as he held onto the startled, dripping mage. "I've got you standing right here, naked and beautiful, and you're too tired. Forget the plight of the mages; this is a grave injustice!"

Anders leaned in to kiss his lover gently and then pulled away in order to dry off the rest of his body. "I'm just having a difficult time balancing everything right now. I'm being pulled in every direction at once. When I'm not at the clinic, I'm writing the manifesto. When I'm not doing that, I'm dealing with the mage underground. When I'm not doing that, I'm running off on some mission with you. And then I still have my life with you to deal with."

"I wasn't aware that this was just something you were dealing with. If us being together is a hassle for yo-"

The mage cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "That's not at all what I meant, Love. You are the one ray of light in my life, and I'd rather be with you than do any of these other things."

"Then why don't you just take a break from it all for a while?" Hawke suggested. "We could go for a few days; get out of the city."

Anders ignored the warrior's ridiculous suggestion and finished drying off, dropping his towel onto the ground. He grabbed a robe to put on, and then he headed out to the bedroom. Hawke followed close behind, yanking on his lover's robe like he was a child clinging to his mother's skirt. The mage had been so distant lately that he was desperately trying to hold on whenever possible, and he wasn't about to let the other man walk away from the conversation.

"Come on, Anders, just think about it," the warrior pleaded. "We could go anywhere you want; it'll be romantic."

The mage smiled and pulled away from the other man so he could go over to a dresser to grab some smalls. "Archer, please. You know that can't happen. Besides, you trying to be romantic never turns out to be…romantic."

"I know we're busy, Darling, but it'd just be a few days. I can just not have anything planned, and someone can take over for you at the clinic. The mage underground will be there when we ge-"

"Archie, stop." Anders was determined to get his lover to drop it. So he couldn't help but pull out all of his most deadly weapons. His bottom lip jutted out forming the most heart-wrenching pout anyone had ever seen.

Hawke averted his gaze. "No, foul apostate! Your dark magics will not work on me!"

The mage smiled and walked over to his lover, cupping his chin and turning his face towards him. He placed a gentle kiss on the warrior's full lips. "If you want to help me, just support me. That's all I ever ask."

Hawke smiled and grabbed onto the other man's hand, and he lead them both to sit on their large bed. "Whether you want me to or not, I'm going to plan something great. Terribly romantic, you'll see. I don't know what you're talking about - me never being able to be romantic…"

"What about the time that you lit all the candles in here and you set part of the bed's canopy on fire?"

The warrior smiled and pushed the mage down on his back. He slowly crawled over him and pressed his lips against the skin of his neck. "That just gave us more light so I could better see your fantastic body."

Anders leaned into a kiss, suppressing a moan as the other man worked up to the sweet spot right behind his ear. "And the time I found you in library, only wearing a bow on your dick?"

The dark-haired man ground his hips down against the mage's. He was delighted to feel that his lover was hardening. "How is that not romantic?"

"You thrusting into the air saying, 'Yeah, Baby, come and get it," hardly screams romantic where I'm from. Besides, bows are better left for being tied around kittens' necks or in the hair of a little girl."

"How dare you not think that was sexy. I even picked out a teal ribbon because it's your favorite color," Hawke said, frown on his face.

"Love, it was a nice gesture. But I think you're forgetting what happened. As soon as we started making out, you realized you'd forgotten to untie the bow and it was constricting against your erection. I'm the one that normally does the screaming," Anders said, unable to keep himself from chuckling while remembering how badly his lover had overreacted.

"Yes, yes, we could all write a book on my sexual failures," the warrior said with a sigh. "But we could write volumes on my successes." He cut off his lovers laughter by crashing their lips together, plunging his tongue into the other man's mouth as soon as it had begun to part. Holding himself up on his knees, Hawke pushed his hands between their bodies and started to work off the mage's bath robe, which was about a hundred times easier than dealing with the man's daily robe of a dozen straps and buckles. Opening the robe, the warrior splayed his hands on his lover's abdomen and slid them up to his chest to take each nipple between a thumb and forefinger. He squeezed each hardening bud tightly, eliciting the blonde to moan against his kiss.

"Remember how I said I was tired?" Anders asked as he pulled away from his lover's lips. Now he felt nails digging into the sensitive flesh of his nipples, and he cried out in a mix of pleasure and pain.

"You say the word, and I'll stop," Hawke said, voice raspy with lust.

The mage bucked his hips up against the other man, hoping he could feel just how hard he'd grown. "I'm not tired anymore. And even if I was, I could never say no to this; to you." For as busy as he had been, for as many secrets he kept, he was a completely devoted lover. Even being in the dominant role, the warrior never had to demand this sort of interaction from Anders; the mage enjoyed nothing more than to please and worship every single inch of Archer Hawke. And he truly had been feeling guilty lately for how much time they were spending apart. Justice always did his best to keep their plans on track, but, when the only thing keeping his feet planting firmly on the ground was his lover, he had to make sure that he remained completely and utterly dedicated to the other man. _Perhaps I could take a few days off. Just relax with him and be rejuvenated before picking things back u-_

A hand gripped firmly on the mage's erection tore him from his thoughts. He gasped and thrust up towards the other man, desperate for more contact.

"Stay focused, Darling, or I'm going to have to go make love to my own hand," Hawke said sternly, peering down at his lover.

 _Oh, don't you dare_ , the mage thought. The idea of all that wasted seed when it could be spilled into his mouth or coating his…Anders pushed himself up enough to slam their lips back together, his hands pressing up against the other man, desperately trying to work off his clothing.

Hawke smiled as he returned a rough kiss to his lover, but he broke apart to help the mage get off his clothing. "Now that's more like it. How'd I get so damn lucky with you, Anders?" The warrior honestly did feel like he must be one of the luckiest men alive. He came into his relationship with the mage knowing that he could never be the most important thing in his world; there was Justice and whatever it was that Anders felt to keep hidden. But the dark-haired man never felt anything but loved by his partner.

The warrior, now fully undressed, pushed the other man away and threw his hands down to his hips to grab onto the smalls Anders had just put on and pulled them down and off forcefully, revealing the blonde's impressive, leaking length. "Fuck, you're so hot," Hawke growled. He slid between his lover's legs, leaning down to kiss and tease the sensitive skin of his left thigh and hip with his tongue, yet constantly missing every area that truly mattered. The mage writhed and moaned with displeasure, and desperately tried to lift his hips up in just the right way that would send his lover's lips closer. But the warrior wasn't about to give in to the other man and instead trailed his kisses north across taught abdomen, chest, chin, and finally to lick and tug on his plump lower lip.

"Are you ever going to stop teasing me?" Anders struggled to ask, lower lip still captured between teeth.

"Never," Hawke said as he pulled his mouth away to smile. "You love it, and I couldn't deny you that."

"Let's please not speak about denial," the mage said with a weak smile on his face thinking back to the exercise in orgasm denial they had both put each other through two months ago. As pleasurable as it had ended up being, he couldn't even muster the strength to think about trying it again for a long time.

"Of course not," Hawke said, pressing his lower half down against the other man. Their cock pressed against one another, the heat of it being absolutely intoxicating. "I'd like to have a little fun though. Are you sure you're up for it?" He held himself up with his knees and one hand, reaching between them with the other to grab onto both of their lengths. He bit back a moan as he stroked them both simultaneously. "I mean, you're 'up,' I can feel that. But you do seem pretty tired."

Anders clenched his teeth and moaned loudly at the sensation, and he thrust upward into the circle of his lover's hand. "Oh Maker's balls, Archer, I'm up for anything."

The warrior smiled as he pumped their lengths together a few more times, but then he pulled away, only to be met with a moan of disapproval from the other man.

"Wait, don't stop that! That felt so good," the mage whined.

Hawke smiled and nipped his lover's neck a few times. "It did, but I want to do something else. Did you think that this was your romantic surprise where you just got to request something you wanted?"

"Well, no - fuck oh yes - but that doesn't mean I couldn't try," Anders said between gasps, thrilled by the teeth marking his flesh.

"Try as you might, but this is 'Archer gets to do whatever he wants and Anders lovingly submits to his will' time."

"So essentially just like every single day?" Anders asked with a smile. Hawke could be such an egotistical dick sometimes, but he couldn't help but love it.

"Exactly!" the warrior said with a smile. He got up from his position over the other man. "Now lay on your back, but the opposite from how you sleep."

Anders got up and lay down on his back, feet touching the headboard. "Like this?"

"No, no, 90 degrees different from that."

"You're so hot when you talk math to me," the mage said with a smile. He turned so that his head and feet were pointed towards the sides of the bed, but he lay in a prone position instead.

"I said on your back, Anders," Hawke said with a groan.

Anders just smiled and lifted up his hips so that his arse was dangerously close to the other man. "But Archie, Love. I want you to fuck me like this. Please…"

The warrior shook his head and slapped one of his lover's arse cheeks as hard as he could. "No, what you want is for me to do whatever I want to you, remember?"

The mage laughed and turned over, starring up into the other man's brilliant blue eyes. "Oh, alright. But be gentle with me; I'm a delicate flower.

Hawke smiled down at the other man and kissed him once. "Ok, now just lay there and open your mouth wide."

"Oh, Maker…bringing back repressed memories, Love."

"Keep repressing them, and we'll make some new ones you wouldn't dare forget." The warrior waited until Anders stopped smiling and finally opened his mouth to turn himself, facing the opposite direction of his lover, and straddled him. Reaching between his legs, he pulled his cock away from his abdomen and pushed it about half way into the other man's mouth. Without even needing to be told what to do, Anders instinctively closed his warm, wet lips around the hard flesh and started to lick and suck wherever he could. Hawke moaned loudly and started to thrust down, sending his throbbing length down further towards his lover's throat. The mage struggled a few times before he could manage to handle it without a gag, but finally he was able to open up enough to let it ease in as far as it needed to go.

"Oh fuck yes, Anders, you're so good," the warrior said after moaning. "And when you're good to me, I'm good to you." He took his lover's member in hand and brought his upper body down so he could start to lick and suck at the slit.

Anders struggled to moan against the continuous thrusting of warm, thick cock into his mouth, but he couldn't help but get lost in this newly wonderful pleasure. It was no secret that the mage was turned on by pleasing his lover, but to be able to do that while simultaneously having his own length enveloped by the warrior's mouth was fantastically exciting for him and even felt like a gift. And he could think of no better way to thank the other man with the use of his Maker-given skills.

Something along the lines of a muffled "oh fuck yes" escaped the warrior's mouth as his mage began to alternate between heating and cooling the cock between his lips. Hawke, though certainly not as promiscuous as had once been thought, had experienced his fair share of lips around his length, but never in his life had anything come close to what Anders was able to do to him. Sure, there was the love that made it special, but the magic was something the warrior felt was something utterly divine. Perhaps if each Templar or mage hater had the chance to experience something like this, they'd change their minds altogether. It seemed like each time the mage played this game with him, it was better than the last; the frequency at which he changed from heat to cold would change, or he would make his mouth hot, while a cool tongue slid along the underside of the warrior's length. But this time, he added a third element, and a surge of electricity traveled from the tip of Hawke's erection to every inch of his body. And, fortunately for Anders, he had just enough time to pull his mouth away from the length in his own mouth before he slammed his teeth together and made a noise that was electrifying in itself.

"Fuck, oh my fucking-" Hawke struggled to form his sentences, and Anders took the opportunity to pull his own mouth free and catch his own breath. "How in the name of the Maker am I supposed to compete with that?"

"What's that, Love?" Anders asked, starring up at a fantastic view of his lover's cock, slick with his own saliva.

"You're so amazing with your magic, and I feel like I can't do anything like that for you," the warrior admitted. It was strange for him to say something like this at all, typically feeling incredibly confident about his own skills. "The only talent I possess is with a sword, and I'm not so sure that'd be useful here."

"No, please, no," the mage nearly yelped. "Your mouth is magic by itself, and it's so damn close; I can feel your breath, so please, Love, I want more." He lifted his head slightly to lick and suck on one of his lover's balls.

With a smile, Hawke encompassed the other man's length with his mouth and began to bob his head up and down on it. He may not possess the skills that Anders did, but he had a renewed confidence that the limited knowledge he had of sucking dick was apparently good enough. But 'good enough' was clearly an understatement with the way that the mage started to moan and writhe under him. The blonde had once again taken his lover's erection between his lips, and each moan sent a fantastic vibration across the length that made the warrior shudder with delight. As he licked sucked on the head, he felt the mage's hands slide up the back of his thighs and up to the globes of his arse. Then, in one smooth movement, a slightly slicked finger teased itself inside the warrior's tight hole. This invasion in itself caused the warrior to moan as well. But when the mage pressed the finger down against his lover's prostate, he sent a flow of electricity straight to the gland. Not more than a second went by before the warrior was groaning out in ecstasy and releasing his seed into his lover's mouth.

The vibrations from the noises the warrior made nearly had the mage there, but what truly sent him over the edge was the salty fluid flooding into his mouth. To some, ejaculate was just a part of the release. But to Anders, it was a sign that he had pleased the man he loved in the most intimate way possible, and that was the most erotic thing of all. As he swallowed every bit of it, the blonde came to his own release.

Hawke did not feel the same way about cum as Anders did; the taste was always far too bitter to taste good to him. But as much as he was a "taker" in the bedroom, he did love how much joy he could bring to the mage, and he wouldn't dare think of doing anything but swallow. Especially because of what he'd recently discovered that the mage enjoyed doing so much.

Before he'd even thought about trying to catch his breath, Anders weaseled his way out of his position under the other man and got to where he could push Hawke onto his back. He then threw himself at the other man, crashing their lips together and plunging inside the warrior's mouth. He relished in the intoxicating combination of their fluids. He moaned and explored each reach he could find, and the dark-haired man couldn't be happier to let him have his small taste of dominance for this moment.

Finally, Hawke pushed the other man away in a desperate attempt to get air. "I thought you were tired," he managed between breaths.

"Well I am now," Anders said quietly as he worked to steady his breath as well. "That was great, and it really took my mind off of everything. Thank you."

"Hey, you're not getting off that easy," the warrior said as he crawled over so that he was able to lie pressed up against the other man. "I'm still going to plan something incredibly romantic. You'll be so happy with it that you'll never want to do anything but the romantic stuff that we're doing. You'll have to write a letter to all your mage friends saying that they should handle everything themselves because you're too busy being with me. They'll be fine. And someone is bound to take over that beautiful clinic of yours an-"

"Archer, stop," the mage insisted. He rolled onto his side so that he could face the other man. "You know good and well that none of this can happen. If you must, plan something romantic that doesn't involve candles or bows around your dick for one night. That'll be more than enough to let me get my mind off of things. I can't just stop everything, and you know that."

"You don't have to stop forever," Hawke suggested. "Just give yourself a break once and a while. You don't come home every night anymore. You're losing weight because you don't even take the time to eat some days. You need to at least take care of yourself, Darling. If you drive yourself sick, who will heal the healer?"

"Don't be so dramatic, Love," Anders said, nestling his head in the crook of the warrior's neck. "I'm fine, and I'll be fine as long as you just support me. Plan something if you must. Not a matter of days; just a single night. It doesn't have to be romantic, especially because you're incapable. Just be there with me, and it'll be perfect."

"Oh, I'll show you," Hawke said, a yawn soon following. "This is a challenge now, and I'm going to be so romantic that you won't know what hit you. Just give me a few weeks, and I will blow you away with how amazing this thing is going to be. I've already got it all planned out in my head, and you're just not even going to be able to handle it. And I'm definitely not promising that there won't be a bow on my dick. I'll just be more careful this time. You'll seriously not even be able to handle how fantastic it'll be. After it's all said and done, you'll be rushing out to tell all our friends how jealous they should be because you have the greatest boyfriend ever. Then they'll all be asking me for tips, but I'll only tell them a few things because my advice is so valuable that it couldn't possibly be free. I might even have to start writing books about it to help other people be as romantic as I am. You'll see, Anders. I'm going to make it the greatest night of your life."

Anders couldn't help but smile. "Then I greatly look forward to it, bow and all."

As great of a liar as Anders had become, the warrior had clearly also developed this skill. In order to really surprise the mage, he'd need to enact his plan in the next few days. The only unfortunate part, other than the fact that he, indeed, had no romantic bone in his body, was that he actually had no plan at all. So that left him with no other choice – he'd have to seek the advice of his friends. _Let the ridicule begin._

 _***_

By the time Hawke had woken up, he was not surprised to see that Anders was not lying next to him. The mage was always an early riser, and there had rarely been a morning when he would even see him before he ran off to his clinic. Its normalcy, however, did not make it any easier each morning when the warrior rolled over to feel that the warmth had already left the sheets next to him. But there was no use in thinking about it, so he just got up to get ready for the day. He certainly had a lot of work to do if he would ever figure out a way to plan a romantic evening for his lover.

After getting ready for the day ahead, the warrior walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, the sweet aroma of bacon nearly carrying him there by itself. As he entered the room, he saw Orana busily preparing the morning's meal and Bodahn carrying platters of food and heading towards the dining room.

"Good morning, Master Hawke," Orana said as she cut up some fruit and placed it into a bowl. "Breakfast is nearly ready, so why don't you go wait in the dining room?

"Will you be joining me?" Hawke asked. As much as he enjoyed having people in his home to help, he hated if they didn't feel like his equals.

"Oh, no thank you, sir. I'll be there in a moment with the rest of the food."

Always the same answer. Hawke could never convince the elf of the dwarves to join him, but he couldn't help but ask every day in an attempt to not let the morning commence in another lonely breakfast. He smiled at Orana and left for the dining room, prepared to take his seat at the head of the table.

"And here I'd thought you'd left for the day," Hawke said before kissing his lover's temple and taking his seat.

"I was ambushed," the mage grumbled. "I'm being held hostage here until I eat something."

Before the warrior could speak, Orana came into the room and set down a bowl of fruit and a basket of toast at the table. After assessing that there wasn't anything else the two humans needed, she quickly exited the room. Hawke, much like a child, always grabbed far more food than he needed to eat, but unlike those with small stomachs, his could pack away anything. With a pile of bacon nearly up to his chin, he smiled and started to eat. Anders, on the other hand, picked at his food like a bird. Never in his life had he been used to having an unlimited supply of things to eat. But now, even with it right in front of him, he could hardly consume a third of what the warrior shoveled into his mouth.

"Eat already, Anders," Hawke demanded. "How do you expect to do whatever crazy mage things you do during the day without a good breakfast?"

"I make do," the mage replied. He took a bite out of a piece of toast and then set it down on his plate. It was true that he hadn't been eating much, but even now, he could hardly stomach what was in front of him. _Stress will do that to you._

"Well you're not leaving until that plate is completely cleared."

"Ok, Dad," Anders spat back at him. He then picked up his plate and dumped the contents onto the floor. Dog, who had been sitting patiently in the corner of the room trotted over and gladly helped himself to the mess on the floor. The mage, after setting his plate back on the table, looked over at his lover and just smiled, thrilled with the look of shock on the other man's face.

"You are in so much fucking trouble, mage."

Anders, smirk still plastered to his face, picked up an apple slice and took a bite out of it before he replied. "And what will my punishment be this time? I might even have to make it back from my crazy mage things early tonight for whatever it is."

Hawke just shook his head. "How about no sex?"

Smirk gone, Anders dropped the remaining piece of apple onto his plate. "Wait, what?"

"There's no way to punish you in the traditional sense because you like it all so much," the warrior said matter-of-factly. "So why not just take away sex and make that the punishment?"

"But that's punishing yourself as well," Anders said, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"It's true," the dark-haired man said before he piled a few pieces of bacon and large helping of scrambled eggs onto his lover's plate. "I don't know that I'd be able to help myself from commenting on how much I wish I had a man that would love me enough to not do things that hurt me like you just did. Then we could have sex, but no. I'll just have to do without. I'll have to be disappointed, I guess."

"You're mean," Anders said before he started to reluctantly eat the food in front of him.

"And you're too skinny."

 

***

The rest of breakfast went better than the warrior had imagined it. Anders actually ate everything that had been put on his plate before he left for the clinic, and Hawke had eaten his weight in food. It was a very pleasant way to start the morning, especially with him being so nervous about what he would be doing. In thinking on it, not a single one of his friends was really a good person to ask about being romantic. He'd probably have better luck just knocking on doors of local couples to ask them how to do it.

Regardless of what would be the better plan, the warrior soon found himself at his first stop to see Aveline at Viscount's Keep. When he got to her office, he was surprised that he was able to see her immediately. Ever since her relationship with Donnic had started to blossom, he often found the door closed. But her new husband was clearly out on patrol, and the red headed warrior sat at her desk, letters littering every surface of it.

"May I have a moment with you?"

"Hawke," she responded, getting up from her seat. "Of course. What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to know if you would help me with something. It's a bit awkward though, so I'll understand if you just say no," he responded.

"More awkward than listening to you and Anders having sex while the rest of us are trying to sleep or keep watch on nights we have to make camp?"

"You say it as though it happens often," Hawke replied. "Anyway, possibly less awkward. I-I guess I wanted to know how to be romantic."

"And you're asking me because?"

"Surely either you or Donnic has done something romantic for one another. I just want to do something special for him, and I haven't the slightest clue what to do here. Just don't suggest a copper relief of marigolds."

"I still don't know why no one liked that," Aveline said with a sigh. "I really don't know, Hawke. You must be doing something right to keep that moody apostate by your side."

"I'm just fantastic in bed and good to look at," he suggested. "Unfortunately, that's not romantic. Come on, you have to know something I could do."

"I always love it when Donnic just speaks from the heart. He tells me the things he likes about me, and I suppose I find that romantic. Now, what you could say to Anders, I don't know. Perhaps you could say that you enjoy his mood swings."

"Ok, I can do that!" Hawke said with an enthusiastic smile. "His mood swings are rather epic, but there are plenty of great things about him. Can I borrow a piece of parchment?" Without waiting for the Guard Captain to respond, he grabbed the nearest piece of paper he could find and scribbled 'tell Anders that he is hot' with a quill. He gathered the paper, hugged his friend, and ran out and off to his next companion before Aveline could even explain that he'd used the back side of a letter from Knight Commander Meredith and she really needed that back.

Hawke was happy that his next stop was a close one, and he was even happier that he found his companion almost immediately. Sebastian Vael was busy on his knees.

"What are you doing, Sebastian?" the warrior asked as he looked down at the other man.

"I am trying to pray, Hawke. You should really try it some time."

"Ok, well get up because I need your help."

The rogue reluctantly stopped praying and, after a silent apology to the Maker, decided to indulge the other man. "And how may I help you?"

"You used to be a real ladies man right? Like, you banged a ton of people?" Hawke certainly wasn't using his 'inside the Chantry voice' and a lot of eyes shot directly towards him and the prince.

"Yes, you know that," Sebastian answered in a very quiet voice. "Are you looking for tips? Oh, have you taken my warnings about Anders to heart? Are you looking to romance a woman?" His last words were spoken with far too much enthusiasm.

"Nope, I still like Anders and his penis," the warrior said, still far too loud for where they were located. "I do want to ask about romance though."

"Well if that is what you seek, I'm not sure why you came to me. I may have had my fair share of lovers, but romance was not usually in the picture," Sebastian admitted.

"I'm just going to everyone because I'm clearly desperate here," Hawke said. "I need to get Anders' mind off of all the work he's doing, and I just want to give him a nice evening. I know there has to be some tip you could give me to help me out."

"You have been a good friend, Hawke, so I'll try." The rouge stopped for a moment to think. "I suppose I'm just not sure if it's different to romance men than it is women, but I do know that everyone loves candles. It sets the mood for…things that I no longer think about."

"Candles are great, but I've been forbidden to use them," the warrior said with a frustrated sigh. "You nearly burn your bed to ashes one time, and you never hear the end of it."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow but did not pry for more details. "Perhaps you could simply be more careful next time." He gestured over to a large display of candles next to the Chantry's alter. "As long as you keep them away from things that are flammable, they can be safe and beautiful."

"Ok, maybe I can do that," Hawke said, then making a mental note to have plenty of water handy just in case. He smiled and then pat the rouge on the back. "Thanks a lot, Sebastian. I'll leave you to pray. If you don't mind, ask the Maker for my night with Anders to go smoothly."

"I'm not going to pray for your sex life, Hawke."

The warrior let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, man, you're too funny. No prayers needed for the sex life; it's pretty phenomenal. I just don't want to set anything on fire. See you later, and don't think about us having sex for too long; wouldn't be chaste."

With that, Hawke left the uncomfortable rouge and headed out of the Chantry and back onto the cobblestone streets of Hightown. He couldn't help but walk with a smile on his face, his confidence steadily rising from the unease he felt this morning. He was making good time in speaking with his friends, and he was thrilled to have ideas for his plan. There was still plenty more to figure out, but he had no doubt that he'd know exactly what he was doing by the end of the day. But as soon as he found himself outside of his next stop, he felt rather unsure of himself once more. There was no way he'd get any help here.

That thought, however, was not enough to keep him from entering the dusty, decrepit mansion that was being inhabited by Fenris. As he climbed the stairs, he called out so the other man would know it was him in the house and feel no need to defend himself. Once he entered the master suite, he saw the elf sitting at his table, a book in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

"I'm not sure what's the strangest thing about this," Hawke said. "You can't read, and it's only 11 AM."

The elf looked up from his book and set down the wine bottle. "I'm practicing, and it's never too early to drink."

"Fair enough," the human said as he took a seat. He found a quill and ink on a table, and he quickly pulled out the parchment from his pocket and wrote down 'candles/pray about the candles' before he forgot.

"Can I help you with something?" Fenris asked, carefully eying the parchment.

"I'm not really sure, but we'll see if you can. Do you know anything about romance?"

The elf raised a dark eyebrow at the question. "I can't say that it has played part in my life. Slavery didn't allow for relationships. All I have experience with was my night with you, and my time spent with Isabela. Strictly sex in both cases."

"So you're telling me that you never do anything nice for Isabela, to show her you care about her?"

"I believe you're making our relationship out to be more than it actually is."

"That doesn't answer my question," Hawke said, grabbing the wine and taking a swig. _Never too early._

"Why have you come to me for this?"

"Still not answering my question, but I just wanted to talk to everyone and find out what they thought was romantic. I want to do something really nice for Anders, and I'm kind of desperate; clearly because I'm here talking to you of all people."

Fenris grabbed the bottle from him and drank from it for a moment before he spoke. "If I wanted to do something nice for Isabela, I would indulge her in something she enjoyed in bed because that is the nature of our relationship."

"I do that every night though."

The elf nearly gagged at the thought but composed himself. "Isabela has told me that you admitted to her that the abomination enjoys something that you do not because you are afraid you will take it too far."

"That bitch!" Hawke exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the table. "Wait, what are you even talking about? I never told her anything like that."

"Apparently you had too much to drink and started talking about how he likes you to choke him."

"Oh, shit, I said that? Remind me to never drink again." He grabbed the wine bottle and took another swig. "After today. Anyway, you think I should choke him? That would be romantic?"

"If he likes it, he would be happy that you wanted to do it for him," the elf suggested. "Just wrap your hands around his throat until he can't breathe an-"

"Wait, you son of a bitch. You just want me to strangle him!"

"He's dangerous, Hawke. He has willingly become an abomina-"

Hawke cut him off as he stood up from his seat and started to shout. "I don't care how much you hate mages or Anders, Fenris! He is my lover, and I expect you to respect that as long as we are friends. How dare you suggest I hurt the man I love!"

A scowl remained on the elf's face, but he averted his eyes from the other man, ashamed that he had betrayed their friendship. "I apologize, Hawke. I went too far."

"Damn right you did," the taller man spat. He grabbed his piece of parchment from the table and started to walk out of the room, but he stopped when he heard the low voice of the other man call after him.

"Perhaps you could give him a gift."

"Like what?" Hawke asked as he turned back around to face the elf.

"Something heartfelt and meaningful. You have all the coin in the world to buy him something frivolous. But to give him something he needs, something useful, that could be romantic."

"Where did that come from?" the dark-haired warrior asked. "Was I just talking to Fenris or do you have a spirit of thoughtfulness living in your head that I've never met before?"

The elf wasn't about to dignify that question with an answer, and Hawke knew it. Rather than wait for a response, he placed the parchment back on the table and wrote 'give Anders some nice shit' under his ever-growing list. With a smile, thanked the elf for actually helping in the end and made his way out of the mansion.

It wasn't long before the warrior found himself in Lowtown, and after a quick stop in the market, he made his way to the Alienage. A few moments passed after he knocked on Merrill's door before the elf opened it up and happily led him inside her modest home. After hellos and a bit of small talk, Hawke pulled some food out of his pack that he'd just purchased, and they started to eat lunch together.

"Can I ask you something?" the man asked before he took a bite out of a roll. He cringed at the taste and nearly felt bad about offering his friend such sub par food, but the elf cheerfully seemed to enjoy her meal.

"Of course, Hawke," she said with a smile.

"If someone were going to do something romantic for you, what would it be?"

A flush of color flooded the elf's cheeks. "Oh, I don't know. No one really does anything like that for me. Are you wanting to do something romantic for me? No, of course not. You're with Anders. Am I rambling? It's hot in here…"

At that moment, the warrior almost felt bad for bringing it up at all. He had slept with Merrill one night long ago, and she had apparently thought it meant more than it actually did. He felt like he broke her heart that night, but the elf played it off as though she was perfectly fine. Hawke was never quite sure how she really felt about it, and now he was even more unsure about everything. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I just want to do something nice for him, and I don't know where to start."

"Oh!" she said with a smile. "Is there an occasion? His nameday isn't coming up is it?"

 _Well, maybe she's more ok with it than I expected_ , Hawke thought. "No, it's not. He's just been having such a hard time lately dealing with everything, and I wanted to give him a special day where he can just relax and forget everything."

"Oh that's so sweet of you, Hawke," the elf said with a smile. "Anders is very lucky to have you in his life. Now let me think for a moment."

The warrior took the break between words to smile and agree with Merrill. _Anders is so lucky to have me. I'm the greatest boyfriend in the entire world. He thinks that I can't be romantic, but I'm going to be the most romantic man anyone has ever heard of. They'll write stories about me. Romantic, sexy stories._

"I've got it!" Merrill exclaimed. "There is nothing more romantic than a frolic in the forest."

"A what?"

"A frolic! Just the two of you, skipping through the trees. You could stop to pick him flowers. Oh, it's terribly romantic."

"Are you just trying to make a gay joke?" Hawke asked, mildly upset. "We're not like that, Merrill. We don't like flowers. We're tough and masculine. All muscle and testosterone an-"

The elf cut him off, a distant look in her eye, "And fantastic bodies."

"Well I have to agree there," the warrior admitted. "But I really can't picture us doing that."

"Whether you realize it or not, _anyone_ could enjoy a good frolic. Just last week, I convinced Fenris to frolic with me, and he loved it."

Hawke leaned his elbows against the table, head cupped in his hands and mouth agape. "Please go on and never, ever stop."

"Oh, dear. I wasn't supposed to say anything." Merrill looked upset with herself, but she quickly moved the conversation along. "You should really give it a try though, Hawke. Being out in nature can do wonders for the soul. And perhaps, there could be a picnic set up at the end of your journey."

"I like the idea of there being food," the warrior said. "And lots of booze if I'm going to forget about the frolicking that just took place."

The elf giggled with delight. "Oh, Hawke, it will be so lovely! I can see it now: the two of you will go out to Sundermount, skipping through the trees hand in hand and exclaiming your love for one another. As you go along, you stop in a meadow of flowers and pick a beautiful bouquet to give to him. Then you'll continue on until you get to a blanket and basket of food you've placed out there ahead of time. He'll swoon for you as you feed each other fruit and sweet bread. And then you'll take him, right there, for the whole forest to see."

Hawke choked on some water he'd just taken into her mouth at these last words. _Someone has been spending too much time with Isabela…_ "Well that sounds just…very much like something we'd never do. But then again, we never do anything romantic. And, if my math is correct, and it always is, that means that the scenario you've laid out for me must be romantic. I suppose that means we'll do it!"

"Wonderful!" Merrill said with a smile. "You'll need to tell me how it goes."

"I certainly will, minus a few details," the warrior said. "Thank you so much, Merrill. You've been a big help." He pulled out his parchment, and grabbed a quill that was on the end of the table so that he could write 'frolic, food, fuck'.

With that, Hawke got up and said his goodbyes to the elf and left her home so he could move on to his next stop. As he walked through the streets of Lowtown, he couldn't help but feel that he was slowly, but surely, becoming the most romantic person in the entire world. Part of him felt that he didn't even need to go speak with his other companions at this point. But if he were to truly master the art of romance, he could still use a few pointers.

As he entered the Hanged Man, the warrior was disappointed that Isabela seemed nowhere to be found. It was just the time of day that the pirate could usually be found perched on her favorite bar stool, but according to Corff, she hadn't been there all day. At least the trek there hadn't been a total waste because the barkeep had informed him that Varric was up in his room. Hawke thanked the man and walked up the stairs towards the dwarf's suite, but stopped when he heard voices inside.

"Sure, Blondie, I'll check it out for you."

"Thank you, Varric. You've been a good friend."

 _Oh, Sweet Maker, Anders is here!_ the warrior thought. He threw himself up against wall, back pressed firmly against the stone. _He can't know that I'm here; it'll ruin everything!_

"Not a problem. I'll check with my contacts and get back to you in a few days. We're meeting to play Wicked Grace soon, so I'll let you know then."

"That sounds great. Thank you."

Hawke could hear the distinctive sound of the mage's heavy boots as he went to exit Varric's room. As he stood completely still, he silently cursed to himself that he didn't just run off to a corner or wall that was further away. But his lover was never the best at checking his surroundings (how else had he been caught by the Templars so many times?), and he was sure that he'd walk right by him, never knowing he was there.

"Archer, what are you doing there?"

 _Fuuuu-_ "Who is this 'Archer' you speak of, Serrah? I am but a patron of this fine establishment, and I wish to not be disturbed."

Anders had to bite his bottom lip to keep a small laugh at bay. He walked over to the warrior and placed his hand gently against his cheek. "Well, then, my mistake. You just look so much like my boyfriend. I'm sorry to have disturbed you from whatever it is you are doing. I must say though, you're so handsome that I just couldn't help myself from coming over here to talk to you."

"You are handsome yourself, my good man. But I must be going as I have important business to attend to." He started to move away, but he was stunned when Anders pushed him back against the wall.

"Why don't you and I go find a nice place to figure out just how attractive we are under all these clothes?"

"Anders!" Hawke barked. "I can't believe you were going to cheat on me!"

The mage furrowed his brow. "You're an idiot. And what are you doing here anyway? I thought you were supposed to be down at the Docks."

There were three things in the world that Hawke had realized he was either bad at or could just not do to save his own life: use magic, conceive and give birth to a child, and lie to Anders. "I-uh. I was at the Docks all morning. Doing dock things. And now I'm here. Because I'm not there."

"Uh huh," the mage responded. "Well I'll leave you to it then. I'm going to make sure I'm home for dinner tonight, so make sure you're back in time as well." His voice lowered. "You still need to punish me for what I did this morning."

The warrior couldn't help but smile. He wasn't sure what he was more thrilled about: the proposition of sex or the fact that Anders would actually be coming home at a decent hour. He leaned in towards the other man and kissed him roughly. "You have been bad, apostate."

With a smile, Anders left and Hawke decided that he must have become really great at lying to get out of that one. Ever-renuing confidence, the warrior walked into Varric's suite and took as seat at the table next to him.

"What can I do for you, Hawke?"

"You write trashy romance novels at times, right?"

"Hey now," Varric said, holding his hands up. "'Trashy' would not be the proper word to use here. My novels are cherished works of art. Maybe you'd know that if you took the time to read them."

"Well I really wish I had, but now I have to come straight to the source for some help. Teach me to be romantic."

"What do you need my help for?" the dwarf asked. "I see the way you two look at each other. It's disgusting."

"You're just jealous," Hawke said after looking over at Norah who had just come in. He ordered a drink and offered to get one for his friend as well.

"That I am, Hawke. What are you trying to plan?"

"I'm sure you've seen how stressed Anders has been lately."

"No, really?" Varric said with a smile.

Hawke couldn't help but smile back. Anders never hid his feelings from anyone. "I just want to do something nice for him. So I've been going around and asking everyone what the thought was romantic so I can set up a nice time for the two of us to help him relax."

"And what have you got so far?"

He pulled the parchment from his pocket and looked over it before speaking. "I'm going to frolic in the forest with him, pick some flowers, eat food, have some candles around, say nice stuff to him, give him a gift, and then have sex with him. How all of that will play out, I'm not sure, but it should be magical given that I'm going to set it up."

"Frolic in the forest?"

"Yeah, that one was Merrill's idea. I feel like it's not going to work out with the candles though; I could burn down the entire forest," Hawke admitted.

"What you need is a proper location," Varric told him. "Nothing sets the mood like ambiance. And I think I know just the place that can make it work out." The dwarf went on to tell him about a small inn on Sundermount, located not too far from where the Dalish are taking up residence. "It's on a beautiful piece of land, right on a lake. There's even a heavily wooded area nearby. So you can have your frolic and picnic, and then perhaps a romantic boat ride on the water. Once you're all done with that, head over to the inn for a nice evening with candles and gifts and whatnot."

"Varric, can I kiss you?"

"What?"

"I'm just so in love with you right now for telling me about this," the warrior leaned dangerously close to the other man. "Come on. Pucker up those beautiful dwarven lips."

"Cut it out, Hawke. Bianca might see!"

"Let her watch!" Before Hawke could lean in close enough, he tipped his chair over and crashed to the ground. "Maker, damn these chairs! I wasn't even drunk this time."

The dwarf laughed as the warrior collected himself. "When do you want to set this thing up? I can probably get it all worked out for the day after tomorrow."

"That would be perfect," Hawke said as he took a swig from his pint. "I don't care what it costs."

Varric pulled out a piece of parchment and started to make a list of things to have one of his friends set up for the warrior. "Anything specific you want me to add to this?"

"Um," Hawke had to think for a moment. "Make sure that we have the nicest room available and that all candles are very far away from things that could catch fire. And I want a picnic set up for us in the forest after our frolic. With all of Anders' favorite foods."

"You say that as though I know what those are."

"He'll eat most things, but he _loves_ lobster. Disgusting, creepy lobster. I can hardly handle it; eyes looking at you like, 'why Maker, why did you boil me alive?' So we never eat it. But he should have it tomorrow."

Varric frowned. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to come by lobster in these parts? I'm going to have to pull a lot of strings to make that happen."

"I know you can do it," the warrior said with a smile. "It just has to be perfect for him."

"See, that's just romantic in itself," the dwarf said, feeding the other man's ego. "You didn't need my help at all."

 _I am so good at this. But I should give Varric some credit so he doesn't feel bad since he's not as romantic as I am._ "No, Varric. I couldn't have done it without you." He then grabbed the quill from the other man added 'boat ride/don't look at the lobster in the eyes' to his list. And that lead him on his way out of the suite and down the stairs to exit the Hanged Man to try to see if he could figure out where Isabela had ran off to. But, to the warrior's delight, the pirate had made her way back to the pub sometime during his talk with Varric.

"Hello, beautiful."

The rouge turned and looked at her friend with a smile that could knock the trousers off of just about any man in Kirkwall. "Well, don't you look more smug than usual? I like it."

"I was wondering if you and I could talk, perhaps in a more secluded area."

"Oh, Sweet Thing, I thought you'd never ask. I thought I was satisfied with our one night, but with you walking around with that mage, I'm getting a bit jealous."

 _It's hard work being so irresistible._ "Not that, I'm sorry to inform you," Hawke said and was met with a pout. "I just want to ask you something that I don't need the rest of the world listening in on."

"Fineee," the pirate whined. The two of them quickly went up the stairs and found a room with a couple of chairs and made themselves comfortable. "So, what is it you wanted to ask me?"

"Well, I'm setting up the world's most romantic evening for me and Anders. I have everything pretty much figured out, of course, but I wanted to see if you had any suggestions to make it that much more special."

"Have sex with him."

"Naturally," Hawke scoffed. "After what I have planned, he's not going to be able to keep his hands off of me. We'll be lucky if we make it to the bedroom."

"Why would you want to make it all the way there?"

"Candles," the warrior replied as if that answered anything. "Come on, you've got to have some sort of suggestion."

"How about do something you don't normally do, but you know he'd like." She nearly gasped as she had an idea spark in her mind. "Choke him."

"I'm not going to choke him!" Hawke nearly yelled. "And fuck you for telling Fenris. He nearly had me thinking it was a good idea until I figured out he just wanted me to rip the life out of Anders with my huge, powerful, manly hands."

 _Unskilled hands,_ the pirate thought, thinking back to their night together nearly a year ago. She had to give him a little credit though because it had been his first time with a woman. "Alright, then we'll just have to think of something else. There's bound to be things you two haven't done."

"I'm not going to start giving you more details considering you'll just tell them to your elf," Hawke said. "Just suggest things, and I'll tell you if we'd do it or not."

And that was the start of a long, long list of suggestions from the pirate, most of which had the warrior squirming in his seat from discomfort. He hadn't ever felt that he was so 'vanilla' in the bedroom before he heard some of the things that came out of the woman's mouth. But he was determined to sit through it until she finally came up with something that would make the experience fantastic for Anders.

"What about bringing in a third party to use phallic tubers on both of you?" she suggested with a sigh, tiring from getting absolutely nowhere.

"What part of 'I don't want another person there or any sort of potato up my ass' don't you understand?"

She shrugged. "All of it. How about nugs? I know a place where we could get a few and they aren't technically people so-"

He cut her off. "Next."

"I'm just about out of ideas, Hawke," she said, sounding defeated. "You've turned down just about everything, and the few things that didn't greatly disturb you weren't good enough apparently. So I suppose you should just do something that you both normally like or play out some fantasy that he has. Didn't you roleplay Meredith and Orsino before?"

"Wait, say that again."

"Meredith and Orsino. You were Orsino and-"

"No before that."

"I said you could play out one of Anders' fantasies. As boring as you seem to be in bed, that boy is bound to have some kinky ones."

And that's when it hit him – the manifesto fantasy that Anders had revealed to him not long ago. When the mage told him about it, he passed it off as something completely ridiculous that the two of them would probably never. And even if he would normally give it more than a moment's thought, he was so frustrated from the orgasm denial that he was being put through that he completely threw it from his memory. But if Anders had been completely serious about it, that could make their evening absolutely perfect. Hawke already knew that he was going to be able to drive his lover wild, but this would be just the thing he needed. Obviously, it wouldn't get Anders' mind off of mage oppression, but he'd be so busy getting his brains fucked out that he wouldn't be able to leave the bed for weeks. _I'm a fucking genius._

The warrior shot up from his chair, pulled Isabela into a bear hug, and ran out of the Hanged Man as though he had an Ogre chasing after him. He had a lot of work ahead of him in memorizing the manifesto, but even more importantly, he was nearly late for dinner.

By the time Hawke had made it back to his Hightown estate, he was a bit worn out from all the running. But if there was one thing in this world that the warrior hated (besides horses and raspberries and paper cuts), it was a lack of punctuality, on his part or otherwise. Anders, often being consumed by things he deemed important, made a career out of showing up late, and Hawke had often chastised him for it regularly. So the thought of the warrior being late while his mage was on time was hardly acceptable. Therefore, using the front door for entry into the house was simply not an option.

 _Note to self: take off your armor before trying this again_. The warrior was struggling to fit his body through a window. He aimed to enter quietly, discard his armor and sit about somewhere until Anders found him, and then he could look like the true hero of timeliness. But everything was not going as planned and he wished, now more than ever, that he were a rouge instead, capable of being quiet for once in his life. He heard the door of the guest bedroom opening, and he tried his hardest to slink back down and out of the window, but unfortunately, he was stuck.

"Master Hawke, what are you doing there?" Orana said, grave concern in her voice. She rushed over to the large man and attempted to help him free of his window prison.

"I'm just entering my own home," he said nonchalantly. "I find the front door boring now, so I decided this was a better option."

"How did you even get up here?" the elf asked as she pulled on one of the warrior's arms. Her slight body hadn't the strength for this.

"I climbed the trellis. There were a few casualties along the way, but the roses are a tough people. They shall rebuild." Finally, Hawke was able to turn himself in such a way to get himself loose. He made it through the window, tumbling to the ground, and making far more noise than he had in the first place. But he collected himself and sat down on the bed to rest a moment. "Tell me, Orana, is Anders here yet?"

"No, Master Anders has not yet arrived for the evening. Should I set out a place at the table for him?"

The warrior felt a mix of emotions run through him. He was delighted that he had beaten his lover home, but distressed that he'd made such an effort to climb up to that window. _I killed the roses for nothing._ But he shook it off and smiled at his loyal servant. "Yes, he should be arriving shortly. Thank you, Orana."

The elf bowed her head and quickly exited the room. With a smile, Hawke got up and went to his bedroom, depositing the armor piece by piece until he was left in nothing but his smallclothes and an undershirt. He quickly put on his usual house attire and ran down the stairs to go to the dining room. He wanted to make sure that he was waiting there, looking ever impatient, when Anders walked through the door.

"Archer."

The warrior yelped as he saw his lover sitting at the head of the table, staring at him intently, cat purring on his lap. The mage stroked the orange tabby from head to tail, but his eyes never left the other man, honey fixed on blue. With his free hand, he gestured towards the seat to his right, the one that he himself normally occupied during their meals. Speechless, Hawke walked over to where the blonde was pointing and took a seat.

"When did you get here?" the warrior asked confidently. He lifted a glass of wine from the table and slowly brought it up to his lips. Once he had swallowed the clean liquid, he spoke again. "I've been here for hours just waiting for you, and I couldn't be angrier with you. You know how I detest tardiness. And what are you doing at the head of the table? That's where I sit. This is the Amell Estate, and I'm the one that has Amell blood. You can sit there whenever this becomes the 'Whatever Your Last Name Is' Estate."

"I'm going to disregard that last statement," Anders said with a frown. "I've been here for hours, not you. Orana told me that she helped you climb through a window about ten minutes ago."

"Why must all women betray me?" Hawke growled. "She told me you weren't here yet."

"Well, I told her that if she wanted to keep spying on us when we're having sex without getting fired, she could do me a favor in making you think you'd won."

"I can't trust anyone," the warrior said with a sigh. "Not her, or you." He stopped to squint and point at the cat. "And especially not you."

"Guard Captain Mittens did nothing, Love."

"Guard Captain Mittens did _everything_.

Anders rolled his eyes and gently pushed the cat off of his lap. "Why were you so late anyway?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was the Carta?"

"No."

"Dragons?"

"Definitely not."

"Fine, you caught me. Fenris was giving me a blowjob to thank me for the one I gave him the other night."

The mage smiled and rolled his eyes. "Is that so? I hate the thought of someone else's lips around your cock."

Hawke smiled as he scooted his chair back slightly against the hardwood floor. He spread his legs open some, inviting the other man to come closer. Luckily for him, the mage couldn't help himself, and he quickly got out of his seat and found his way onto his knees between his lover's legs. He slid his hands up the warrior's thighs, looking up at him with his beautiful amber eyes that were completely consumed by lust. He unlaced the other man's trousers as quickly as he could and pulled the hardening length free of the smallclothes below. Lips teased their way over the sensitive head and worked their way down the shaft until a small moan left the dark-haired man's lips. Anders couldn't help but smile as he began to work his way up and down, beckoning his lover's member to harden to its full length.

The warrior always had a way of remaining quieter than his lover whenever they did anything sexual, but right now, when he really needed to be quiet due to the close proximity of his live-in help being in the kitchen next door, he was hardly able to help himself. He squirmed and groaned under the skilled touch of the other man. He reached down, gripping his fingers into the mage's beautiful golden locks so that he could have more of his erection encompassed by wet and warm lips. A few minutes passed and Hawke found himself shaking, nearing his release. He knew that one more lick or moan from his lover would send him over the edge.

"Dinner is served!" Bodahn said with a smile, carrying in a large platter of pork roast, Orana right behind him carrying a few side dishes.

Hawke's eyes flew open wide as he came instantly, and he bit the inside of his cheek to help him suppress a moan so hard that he could taste blood trickling down to his tongue. Anders did his best to swallow all of the seed spilled into his mouth as quickly as he could and scrambled out from under the table and into his seat. "Dropped something," he said quietly, feeling the need to explain himself.

The warrior, still slightly horrified, did his best to compose himself, and smiled at the dwarf and elf as they placed the food onto the table. When they asked if they could do anything else, he replied, "That will be all, thank you. And don't come back in here; take the night off. Anders and I will clean up after ourselves."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now please enjoy your evening. Away from here." Bodahn and Orana smiled and bowed, and then they exited the room.

"Got something on your lip," Hawke said, directed at Anders.

Anders brought his fingers up to his lower lip and felt the warm wetness on his fingertips. He gasped in horror as he pulled his fingers back, realizing that there was a substantial glob of his lover's ejaculate resting there. He quickly grabbed a cloth napkin and wiped it clean, and Hawke couldn't help but laugh heartily. The mage just ignored him and spoke instead. "Why did you want them to stay away after we're done eating?"

"Because I'm still really horny, and I want to fuck you against the table without worrying about them walking in on us," the warrior said with a smile.

The mage couldn't help but smile back and couldn't have been happier; his own erection was straining against his trousers, still aching from the excitement from what they had just been doing. Anders got up from his seat and went to his lover, but stopped when the other man put up his hands.

"Stop being so selfish, Darling," Hawke said as he started to dish up his plate. "Some of us haven't gotten to consume anything yet."

Dinner, not to anyone's surprise, went remarkably fast. Hawke naturally ate as though his food as though it would disappear if he didn't consume it immediately, conditioned from years of competing with his younger brother for the scraps their family often couldn't afford. Anders always took his time with his food, savoring it now that it was more than just stale bread and cheese. But he made up for it tonight by eating very little and getting through what was on his plate very fast. There were important things to be done, and neither man could hardly wait for it.

As soon as they were done eating, Anders got up from his place and started to grab empty plates and cutlery to take them into the kitchen, but he was stopped nearly immediately by the other man. Hawke had a look in his eye, so hungry and desperate, and he wasn't about to wait for the table to be cleared. The mage smiled, gently setting everything back on the table. He practically yelped when the slightly larger man grabbed onto his robes, pulling them together in one swift motion. The warrior's teeth went straight for his lover's neck, gnawing and nipping at the sensitive flesh, beckoning a soft moan from the mage's lips.

Hawke trailed a line of warm, wet kisses up the other man's neck and to his ear where he took the tender flesh between his lips, and gently sucked. Anders grasped onto his arms, weak from the other man's touch, but just strong enough to press his hips against those of the warrior. The dark-haired man couldn't help but smile as he felt the hardness pressed against him even through all those layers of clothing. He removed his lips from their place on the shell of the mage's ear, but he kept close, whispering hot breath against moistened skin. "Tell me what you want, Anders."

"Fuck me, Love," he groaned with need.

The warrior pulled Anders with him as he walked to the end of the long dining room table that wasn't covered in dishes or platters. He pushed his lover down to sit on the edge of the wood and spread his legs apart roughly so he could make his way between then. He pressed himself up against the mage and peered down at him, eyes completely consumed by lust. "You can do better than that. I'm not touching you until you beg me."

Anders brought his hands up to rest on the other man's chest, gently parting the fabric of the neck of his smoking jacket to expose some skin. He looked away from his lover's eyes, a coy smile on his lips. "Please, Love. I need to be punished for what I did this morning."

Hawke thought about it for a moment, but decided that he'd leave all the punishment for a few days down the line when he played out Anders' fantasy; making his lover wait for it would make it all the better for him in the long run. "No, I'm not punishing you for that, no matter how much of a brat you were being. I'm just going to fuck you, but only if you beg properly."

Anders brought his gaze up to meet the other man's, a pout forming on his lips. "But Archie…"

"Not tonight, Ser Pouts-A-Lot," Hawke said sternly. "I've enough willpower to resist you." _Oh Sweet Andraste, no I don't! Look at that lower lip, jutting out further than should be humanly possible. Are his eyes glistening with wanton need? Be strong, Hawke! Oh Maker._

"But haven't I been bad?"

The warrior did his best to avert his eyes from the other man's lips, focusing on something, anything else. _That painting is crooked._ He shook his thoughts to focus on a reply. "You have been, Darling. So bad, in fact, that your punishment is no punishment. You were right, I don't want to go without sex, but I will force myself too if you won't beg me. I have two hands that are just dying to touch myself, so I could go magag-"

Anders gripped onto the other man's arms, pulling him as close as he could. "No, no, Love. Please, I want it so bad. Touch me, Archer, have me any way you'd like. Stick your big, hard cock in my arse, just please, Love. Maker I need it."

"Well that's much better," Hawke said with a smile. He leaned down to capture his lover's lower lip between his lips, sucking on the thick, warm flesh. He pulled back. "Now get undressed." The warrior pulled himself from between the other man's legs so that he could work off his clothing, his eyes never leaving the mage as he did the same. Each layer that Anders took off caused a stir in Hawke's loins, and by the time they were both completely naked, he couldn't stop himself from pushing the mage back down roughly against the edge of the table, pressing himself against him, flesh on flesh.

The mage leaned forward to capture Hawke's lips with his own as he felt two large hands, calloused from years of wielding a great sword, drift over his body from his chest to his hips. He opened his mouth slightly, allowing entry for the other man's tongue, and he moaned against him as he felt one of the hands grip onto his shaft. The warrior pulled back to release him from their kiss and then leaned down to take a nipple between his teeth to suck and nip. His hand slowly began to work up and down on the length, not nearly fast enough for the mage's liking. Anders leaned back on his hands, thrusting up into the circle of the warrior's fist at a far faster pace.

Hawke smile and straightened himself so he could look at the other man. "Eager, are we?"

Anders moaned and did not dare stop his movements, each one sending a wave of pleasure over his body. "I haven't been able to think of much else all day," he admitted. "As soon as I was doing something productive, I'd think about this and just ache for you."

An animalistic snarl spread across the warrior's face and he groaned at the thought. "I bet someone isn't too happy with what a distraction I've been. No one could blame you though. I'm so damn irresistible."

"Archer, don't do that," the mage pleaded. He couldn't stand when his lover made reference to the spirit he played host to in times like these.

Hawke kissed his lover's temple. "Sorry, Justice. We mortals have our needs." He moved so that his gaze was fixed on Anders, addressing only him. His hand started to work faster against the aching erection in his hand. "Now what is it that you need, Darling? My cock, was it?"

"Yes, yes please, Love," the mage pleaded. He thought what he wanted was to be filled by his lover's length, but that was only until he felt the other man's erection pressed up against his own, encompassed by his lover's hands. He groaned out with pleasure, the sweet heat of both hands and the most intimate of flesh against him. The warrior began to work his hands slowly up and down their shafts.

Biting back a moan, the warrior leaned in to whisper to his lover, "Now how about you get yourself ready for me to fuck you?"

The mage shifted so his weight was supported by one hand and used his free hand to trail up one of his lover's muscular arm, shoulder, and then neck. With a smile he walked a few fingers delicately against the warrior's stubbled jaw and rested them against his lips. Hawke obliged, gently taking in three of the other man's fingers into his mouth so he could suck on them and slather them with copious amounts of saliva. Anders smiled at him as he removed his fingers, then carefully glided them down lower, past where his lover stroked both of their throbbing erections together, and between his cheeks. With gritted teeth, he slowly worked a finger inside of himself. Then another and another, stretching until the mage was panting.

"Tell me before you're there so I can stop," Hawke murmured, quickening his pace on the lengths in his hands.

"What?" Anders nearly choked and he stayed the fingers inside of himself. He thought back to the orgasm denial from not long ago and shuddered. It had felt absolutely amazing in the end, but he was exhausted enough as it was. "You're not fucking doing that to me; I don't have the strength for that right now."

The warrior couldn't help but chuckle as he continued to stroke them both. "We're not doing that, at least not for a while yet. But at least muster up the strength to hold off a bit because I don't want you climaxing until I'm inside you."

"Fi-fine," the mage struggled to get out. "Stop then. Now."

Hawke still felt he had a ways to go, but he had also had the luxury of having a release not long ago, so, reluctantly, he pulled his hands away from the both of them. Anders collapsed back on the table and groaned, legs hanging over the edge. The tip of his erection was glistening with a steady stream of pre-ejaculate fluid, and it pooled against his taught abdomen. He groaned with the ache of nearly being there, and it took every ounce of strength he had not to reach down and pump his way to his own bliss. But as the temptation called to him, he felt the slightly larger man lean his entire body over him, grabbing his wrists and pulling them over his head. The warrior pressed down against the other man, his cock pointing downward, nestled between the mage's balls and left thigh.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

Anders furrowed his brow. "Is this really the time for small talk?" He strained against the warrior's grip on his wrists, desperate to reach out and touch him.

Hawke held his grip firm. "Can't I take an interest in my boyfriend's life?"

"Not when I can feel your dick so close," the mage whined. He was mostly trapped by the weight and muscle of his lover, but he did his best to move himself, allowing for more sweet friction.

The warrior kept one hand tight around his lover's wrists and moved his other between them, taking his length in hand. He slowly guided it so that the tip was pressed right up against the mage's entrance. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Anders groaned, peering up at the other man with desperation in his eyes. He tried his best to push backwards for some sort of penetration, but he was held in place. "Fuck, Love. I'll do whatever you want tomorrow, just please stick it in."

Hawke chuckled and leaned down to plant a kiss on the edge of his lover's lips. He didn't dare push in the other man. "That's not what I was talking about; I meant what do you actually have planned?"

"Um, uh-" the blonde was having trouble gathering his thoughts. "Clinic in the morning, and then helping some mages get into the city from Ferelden after dark."

Normally the warrior wouldn't be too pleased that the mage was not only planning on staying out late, but he that he was doing something potentially dangerous for himself and others. But circumstances were different this time; he'd need every hour he could get tomorrow to study the manifesto and attempt to memorize various excerpts. In all actuality, he really needed days. It wasn't that the man wasn't intelligent enough to do some simple memorization; it was that the manifesto was in pieces, scattered here and there throughout the house between the pages of books and, no doubt, back in his lute. And even in finding all the copies and piecing the pages in a way that made sense, it was hardly legible. Anders had studied for years in the Ferelden Circle, and penmanship was one of his many talents. But, in his passion for writing, he let that all fly out the window, turning cursive into chicken scratch within a few lines of one another. Nevertheless, Hawke was absolutely determined to get the job done. _I'm the Champion of Kirkwall, a master a wielding a blade, and the world's greatest lover; I can handle this mission._

He rewarded the mage by first coating his length with a bit of saliva and then pushing only the head of it inside the other man. Anders moaned and shook underneath him, and the warrior bit back the urge to moan as well so that he could speak. "And the day after?" This was the more important question. Whatever Anders had planned, Hawke needed to be able to get him out of it. _By any means necessary…_

Anders groaned impatiently and fought until he finally pulled his arms free from their binding prison. He moved his arms so that he could slide his hands along the warrior's sides and down to his arse, taking each globe of flesh into his hands to squeeze gently. "I was just going to spend a half day at the clinic, and then come home to work on the manifesto."

 _That's what you think…_

"What?"

 _Oh fucking Maker, I said that out loud! How do I get out of this? Tell him his eyes are beautiful, and that you get lost in them. Practice the romance and make him melt!_

"I said, 'That's why you stink.'" _What the fuck was that?_

Anders frowned. "How does that make any sense in that context? Besides, I just took a bath before you got home. Maybe it's that mabari of yours-Oh Andraste!"

Hawke cut him off the only way he knew how: thrusting so fast and so deeply inside him that he wouldn't be able to form a coherent thought. And it certainly seemed to work. Anders threw his head back and let out one of the most beautiful groans that the warrior had ever heard him make. The dark-haired man began to work his length in and out of the other man, each stroke teasing a moan from the mage's lips. Each new sound was like music to his ears, but he couldn't help but muffle the next ones by roughly kissing the other man. When he pulled back, he captured his lower lip between his teeth, gripping so hard that he slightly tore the flesh.

"Fuck you feel so good, Anders," the warrior growled as he continued his movements. "You fucking love my cock, don't you? Tell me how much you love it."

"I love it more than anything, Archer. You know that, Love." There was a hitch in his voice as the warrior started to thrust in harder. "Oh fuck yes, harder!"

Hawke moaned as he did as his mage told him. He worked so hard that the sound of flesh slapping against flesh nearly drowned out their voices. "Shit you're so tight."

The mage looked up at the other man, his lips spreading into a sly smile. "I can do better." With that, he raised his legs up to wrap around his lover's waist, and he clenched his muscles as much as he could, squeezing around the rigid length inside him.

Hawke let out a guttural groan as he felt the muscles tighten around him. "Oh fuck yes. That's my good boy."

Anders' smile was quickly wiped off his face, his jaw dropping as he felt the other man change positions ever so slightly so that the tip of his cock pressed against his prostate as he thrust inside of him. He held on tightly to the other man, legs and arms wrapped wherever they could find a place, finger nails branding the skin of his back with crescent shaped indentions. Only a few more moments passed before he was there. He nestled his head into the crook of the warrior's neck, lips pressed against the skin so he could muffle his cries as best he could. He felt the wave of pleasure pass through every inch of his body as his balls tightened and he came to his release, milky fluid splattering against the abdomens of both men.

And by the clench of muscles around him caused by the mage's release, the warrior grunted as he thrust in one final time, coating ever reach inside his lover with hot, sticky cum. He nearly collapsed onto the man below him, spent in every sense of the word. As he managed to catch his breath, he kissed and nipped lightly against the shoulder and neck of his lover. The mage smiled and rubbed one of his hands along Hawke's back, sweaty from what had just taken place. The two men laid there together for a while until their breathing matched one another. This was bliss; this was home.

"We need to get up, Love."

"Never," the warrior mumbled. "Too tired."

"As much as I love the way you fill me up, I'm getting uncomfortable and really need to clean up."

"Fine," Hawke whined. He managed to pull his nearly softened member from the other man and get up. He stretched and smiled as he looked at the mage, still struggling to get himself up from the table. He marveled at the sight of his own seed starting to leak out of him, and he licked his lips with desire. "You're so fucking hot like that. I love filling you, marking you, making you mine."

Anders rolled his eyes and smiled. "I've always been yours. But you're mine too, you know. Now let's go." He grabbed his clothes and quickly made his way out the door, clenching tight as to not make a mess. With the dwarves and Orana off for the night, he felt safe enough to run upstairs to their room even without dressing again.

Before exiting himself, Hawke turned to face a window that was covered by extremely heavy burgundy drapes. "Orana, since the show is over, can you take care of the dishes?"

"Yes, Master Hawke," the elf mumbled from behind her hiding spot.

After dinner, the warrior and the mage spent their evening together just lying in bed. For all the time the two were rough with each other, this was something they cherished. A dimly lit room, freshly washed sheets, and just the warmth of one another. They didn't need to talk; they were able to say everything they needed with their hands and lips, gently exploring every inch of skin. They hadn't done this in a while what with Anders becoming more and more consumed with everything, his day work spreading into night. To Hawke, it almost seemed like this in itself could be their romantic evening. But he was determined to give his mage more.

Just as soon as he had fallen asleep in his lover's arms, Hawke found himself waking up to the morning light shining in through the high windows of his bedroom. He stretched and yawned, grasping the blanket that covered him, holding onto the warmth and comfort of the evening before. But as he rolled over onto his back, he quickly became aware that what lie below him was far more firm than his king sized bed.

 _How the fuck does this always happen?_ the warrior thought to himself. He pulled the blanket off as he climbed up from his place on the floor. He was at the foot of the bed, a place he'd woken up all too often from not being able to sleep still. On the night that he and Anders had finally expressed their love for one another, Hawke had joked to him about how it was dangerous business sleeping next to him. And he wasn't kidding; if he didn't fall to the floor in the middle of the night, he'd end up kicking and failing to the other side. How Anders dealt with it, the warrior had no idea. But he was thankful for it. He had half a mind to walk over and thank his lover for covering him with a blanket, but the bed was empty per usual considering the sun had already come up.

But he could hardly be upset; he had a lot of work to do today to get ready for the next. Once he dressed for the morning, he started searching around his room for possible manifesto hiding places. _A copy on the desk, one in the night stand, and, yes, here's one in the fucking lute._ Grabbing the pile of parchment, he ran down the steps and into the kitchen where he saw Orana and Bodahn making breakfast.

"Oh Sweet Andraste, are you making what I think you're making?" Orana turned to smile at him before returning back to her work, but Bodahn, greeted him and informed him of the menu.

"Ah, yes! We have Orlesian toast with syrup and Korcari bacon for you this morning. It's almost ready. You may take a seat in the dining room, if you please, and it will be right out."

"Nope, no time for that," Hawke said as he went over to start piling his weight's worth of food onto a plate. "I need to do a lot of things today, so I'm going to eat this in library." He grabbed the plate, setting it on top of his pile of papers and started to exit the room.

"Wait," Bodahn pleaded, turning the warrior's attention back towards him. "At least take some silverware this time. The last time you had syrup in there, the book pages all started sticking together."

"Syrup!" Hawke exclaimed. "I nearly forgot. Orana, can you bring the syrup to me and just pour some in my mouth?"

"Master Hawke?" Orana asked, desperate for some clarification.

"Come on, I'm losing daylight here." He opened his mouth and waited for her as though he were a hungry babe.

"Could I not just pour it on your plate?" she asked, carrying the sweet syrup over to him.

"And get it on the bacon? Never." Hawke had certain quirks about him that not everyone could begin to understand. Foods did not touch other types of food. Anything that had a label, be it canned food or books, was to be categorized by type and then placed on its shelf in alphabetical order. And Anders was to pick up after himself. The mage certainly didn't abide by this last rule often, but he did his best to understand where the warrior was coming from. The man's life had been spent on the run and in hiding before Kirkwall; it lacked stability and order. And, in the warrior's desperation to keep things just so, he often had strange requests, syrup in his mouth included. He waited for the elf to do as he asked, but he could see how uncomfortable she was. He just sighed, setting down his plate and parchment on a counter, and took the syrup from her. He poured some into his mouth and smiled, a small bit dripping from between his lips. Collecting his things, he ran from the room, headed towards the library.

Bodahn and Orana went back to work, this time tidying the kitchen, but they were interrupted when the warrior came running back in the room grasping desperately at a pitcher of water so he could drink. He managed to pour a little more than half of its contents down his front rather than in his mouth, but he at least found that he was now able to breathe. "Oh Maker, why did you let me do that? I almost died choking on that stuff. It lures you in with its sweet taste, wanting you to just drink it all up. But it's lies, I tell you; a death trap."

Neither member of his staff said a word as they looked up at the panting human, resting against a wall.

"Ok, then," Hawke managed once he realized a response was never coming. "I'm actually glad I came back in here because I need the two of you to help me today." He went on to assign Bodahn with the task of picking up several things at the market that he would need for the following day with Anders. His order to Orana was to make sure that he wasn't disturbed by anyone or anything unless it was urgent. They both accepted their requests and went on with their duties, and that left the warrior to go back to his breakfast on a manifesto-covered table.

As the minutes turned into hours, the warrior found himself growing frustrated. He worked through the pages of his lover's writing, and found passages here and there that could work for his fantasy. Each line he found was copied onto the back of his list of romantic ideas, but he felt disheartened with how short this new list seemed to be. How Thedas' new master of romance would spread this throughout an entire evening was a mystery.

Once it was close to nightfall, Orana entered the library where Hawke was working to memorize his lines. She excused herself for bothering him, but felt it was necessary because a letter marked 'Urgent' had arrived from Varric. The warrior gratefully took it from her, and was pleased to find out through the letter's contents that everything had been set up for tomorrow's festivities. He and Anders would need to leave for Sundermount fairly early in the morning, as there would be a picnic (complete with lobsters and their terrifying eyes) around 6 in the evening. A boat ride would take place afterwards, and the nicest room at the inn had been booked for them for the night.

Confidence fully restored, Hawke smiled and went back to his work. He had managed to find very few lines that he felt suitable.. But he knew that wouldn't be a problem. _I am a sex god,_ he thought to himself. _Anders is going to be so into it that he's not even going to hear what I'm saying. I could probably recite the Chant of Light or read off some Templar anti-mage propaganda and he'd get off on it._ He couldn't help but smile to himself. Everything was going to be perfect.

 

***

By the time Anders made it home, it was well past midnight, and he was almost too exhausted to make it up the stairs to the bedroom, let alone shed his clothes before falling asleep. But somehow, he gathered the strength to do so, and, for once in his life, drifted off into the fade as soon as his head hit his pillow. Hawke, on the other hand, found that sleep would be impossible on this night. He managed to stay quiet while the other man joined him in bed, but his mind was racing, thinking about the activities that would take place in a matter of hours.

His goal was to get up before Anders and head off for some last minute preparations. And luckily for him, the lack of being able to sleep made that task easier than anticipated. By the time he'd had enough of lying awake in bed, he quietly snuck out of the room and down to the lounge where he had stored some light armor to wear, his greatsword, and a pack of supplies – food and water for the road, rope, oil, and, due to the nagging reminder from his late mother, a few extra pairs of smallclothes.

 

***

Anders woke up just as the light began to creep in through the windows. Normally, he wasn't one to sleep in even this late, but the night before had run so long that his body wasn't about to comply with what it considered to be the norm. Surprisingly, Hawke was nowhere to be found; not at his side, or on the floor. But he thought little of it; the warrior had told him the night before last that he had important business to attend to today. So the mage got up, readied himself for the day, and crept out of the house before Bodahn or Orana could force him into eating breakfast again.

The trek to Darktown was a long one, but it was a journey the mage never minded. The city was just starting to rise at this time, and he enjoyed being able to walk the streets with less worry than he would otherwise. As he moved along, he could just breathe the fresh air while he mentally prepared for the things he had to do today, and somehow, that allowed him to relax before the inevitable storm that would come. The mage was starting to have second thoughts about making today a half day at the clinic; it seemed that every time he tried to leave mid-day, a flood of people would start to pour in through the double wooden doors. _I could always just work on the manifesto there,_ he thought. _That way, I'll be able to stop what I'm doing when someone comes in_. He had told Hawke he would be home, but if the other man was busy anyway, surely he wouldn't mind.

As soon he made it to the foggy dirt streets of Darktown, he rushed to the clinic to get ready for the morning. On the schedule today, he would be training a few new volunteers, and he would need to do an inventory of supplies so he could send someone out for more items. Leaning his heavy staff against a wall, he went over to the cabinet of supplies to check his stock. He raised an eyebrow once he opened it. Where there had been but a few potions the day before, he now found that each shelf and drawer was packed to its fullest with potions, poultices, suture, and even some new tools. The mage was now delightfully confused.

"Happy Romantic Extravaganza Da-oh my fucking OW! Anders it's me!" The warrior grabbed onto his arm where a fireball had nearly burned through the light armor he'd chosen to wear for their outing. _Apparently hiding behind crates and screaming isn't Anders' idea of a party._

"Archer, I'm so sorry!" Anders blurted out as he rushed to the other man. A bit of healing magic quickly got rid of the small mark left on the man's bicep, but unfortunately it couldn't do a thing for the armor.

"I had this special made too," Hawke pouted, looking down at the hole in the drake scale. Though the man hardly cared what others thought about the way he acted, he really cared about how he was visually perceived. Where one man might find one or two sets of armor acceptable, Hawke needed a dozen, all made to fit him perfectly.

"We can send it right back to Amaranthine and have Wade fix it," the mage said with a smile. Then he pointed over to the cabinet. "Did you do this?"

"Of course I did. Part of being a romantic guy is lavishing the one you love with meaningful gifts," Hawke boasted. "You never let me help you out with this stuff, but I wanted to. I sent Bodahn out to get everything, and I'd say he did a great job cleaning out all the shops in all of Kirkwall."

"Well if he got it, then I should thank him, not you."

"I couldn't go get that stuff," the warrior replied. "I was too busy making sure everything was all set up and ready for our romantic day. And that's starting right now, so grab your staff – the one against the wall, not your dick; that'll be later."

"You're charming, Love, but I can't go out today," the mage said with a sigh. "You said we weren't going to do anything for a while, and I've got plans."

"You mean healing people and writing the manifesto?" Hawke said with a smile. "Your volunteers can handle it today, and the manifesto will be there when we get back. You don't have a choice in the matter."

Anders began to hear Justice's thoughts as his own, angry at the distraction this would cause. Hawke could see the distant look in his eyes as he struggled with his own desires and those of the spirit inside of him. But the warrior just placed both of his hands on the mage's shoulders, drawing his attention back to him.

"Think about it this way," the dark-haired man, speaking to both spirit and host. "If you get one day to just relax, you will be so rested that you'll be far more productive in the days to come. You can help more people – more mages – and your head will be so clear that the words will practically flow straight out of the quill and onto the parchment when working on the manifesto. I may not be a healer, but I think this is just the treatment you need."

This wasn't the first time that the warrior's words kept Justice at bay. The mage smiled at his lover, embracing him tightly, letting him know that he actually agreed. He nestled his head in the crook of his neck, kissing the exposed skin. Hawke hugged him back, thrilled that things seemed to be going fairly well so far. But he soon pulled back and took the other man's hand in one of his own.

"Ok, Darling, we'll need to go right now if we're going to make it to our destination in time. Grab your staff, lock the doors, and strut with me, hand in hand, out of this awful part of town."

Anders laughed. "You want to hold my hand in the streets? What if people saw and told a Templar or Meredith?"

Hawke rolled his eyes, pulling the other man so that they could get going. "They wouldn't do that; they'll just be too busy being jealous of you. You're with _me,_ Anders – Champion of the city and the bedroom. Besides, I'm the guy that wrote the book on romance. You just wait and see."

Locking the door, the mage started to walk along with the other man with a smile. "And I suppose no one would be jealous of you because you're with me then."

"Everyone is jealous of me for many reasons," he responded as if it answered him at all. But he smiled and added, "You're a stud."

 

***

It took several hours for the lovers to make their way from Darktown to their first stop. Hawke, though he had a map to where they needed to go, was generally terrible with directions and unfortunately got them lost twice. The mage pleaded with the other man to let him be the navigator, but the warrior refused because he didn't want to spoil the surprise. But luckily they managed to find things to talk about until they made it the edge of the Planasene Forest.

"Why in the world are we going through the forest?" Anders asked. "There's a trail right there to the side."

"This is just part of the plan," Hawke reassured him. "There's a trail there in the trees as well. We're going to walk through here and enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of the forest before we get to our stop. It's romantic, Anders." He started towards the trail. "Come and frolic with me!"

"Do what now?" the blonde asked, furrowing his brow. He knew Hawke liked to have a good time, but playfully hiking through a forest seemed like something that Merrill was more inclined to do.

"Move it, mage," the warrior demanded. And so, reluctantly, Anders did as he was told and followed his lover. To his relief, Hawke didn't seem to really know how to frolic, per se. Skipping through the leave-covered forest floor occurred for a matter of moments, but it appeared to be a skill that the warrior lacked and it soon became nothing more than walking. He was finding that he was having a surprisingly good time though. Hawke would point out the various things he found beautiful about the forest and make a meager attempt at comparing it to him through a simile. It was sweet and unexpected.

"Anders, look!" Hawke shouted as he ran off into the distance. After nearly half an hour of walking, he finally managed to find a small patch of shade-loving flowers to share with his lover. With gifts and frolicking out of the way, he was looking forward to mentally crossing more things off of his list, and this was one of them. He heard the mage wander behind him, and he bent down to collect a few stems, adorned with brilliant yellow petals.

"Archer, don't!" the mage yelled out, but it was far too late.

"OH FUCKING HELL MY HAND IS MELTING OFF MY BODY!" the warrior screamed as he dropped the plant and fell to his knees. "I'm dying! Go on without me, Darling; I'm already gone."

Anders had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the warrior who was whining while clutching his wrist. He got down on his knees in front of the other man to examine the slightly irritated skin. "Love, I know it hurts, but it doesn't hurt _that_ bad."

"How would you even know?" Hawke asked as warm healing magic drifted over the palm of his hand. "You get off on pain, so you have no concept of how it feels to someone like me – a normal person. I can assure you that it is so bad that it would bring the Arishok to his knees. The fact that I still live is a testament to my strength."

The mage shook his head with a smile and got up. He reached out for the other man and pulled him to his feet as well. "I may have a fairly high level of pain tolerance, but that weed you nearly shed tears over is described as causing 'weak to mild cutaneous irritation' and nothing more in horticulture texts. And need I really bring up the fact that you once had ink permanently etched into your face with needles? I can't even picture that happening without you crying."

Hawke gasped. "The Champion never cries!"

"You weren't the Champion back at Ostagar, now where you? How'd you manage it?"

The warrior grumbled to himself as he started to continue along the path. "I don't really feel like telling you."

Anders quickened his pace to catch up to the other man. He grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. "Come on now, Archie. I think you telling me about your past is sort of romantic. We never do that."

 _Romantic, huh? Well that is my middle name. It's definitely not 'Clarence'._ "Fine, I will tell you. For the sake of the romance. But it's embarrassing."

"And nothing else you do or say is even slightly embarrassing," the mage said with a chuckle.

"Exactly," Hawke said. "I fear this will have you think less of me. Where I once was absolutely perfect in your eyes, I will now have a single mark against me."

"Just tell me, Love," Anders insisted.

"I was very excited about getting the tattoo," the warrior admitted as they continued to walk. "I think they're a great form of expression, and I liked that it would represent something I was part of. So I was all ready to get it done, and then this needle came at me and I woke up with a tattoo on my face."

"That settles it; I have lost all respect for you."

"Hopefully I can regain that respect in just a few moments. We're almost there."

"Almost wher-" The mage's question was cut off.

"FUCK YOU, WOODLAND CREATURES!"

An array of different animals scattered from their spot around a turned-over basket on a checkered blanket as Hawke raced forward, pulling the great sword off of his back and swinging it into the air. He yelled and swung, not aiming to actually strike the animals, but…no, he was definitely aiming at them and just wanted to kill them all for ruining his romantic picnic in the forest. But the halla were far more agile than the muscular warrior, and the scavenging birds took flight high above the reach of the man's long sword.

"Get them with your magic! Go, go!"

The mage nearly buckled over laughing. Since the animals had fled, Hawke resorted to swinging his sword in the nearby bushes. "Archer, Love, I am not going to punish animals for being hungry."

"But. They. Ruined. Every. Thing," the warrior said between slicing his sword through a low-hanging branch of one of the tall trees of the forest, giving no thought to how dull the blade was becoming. Once he had successfully destroyed all greenery within his reach, he stormed over to the basket and slammed his fist down on it. A muffled squeal startled the man. _Oh fucking Maker, they left the lobster alive and now it wants revenge!_ He turned the basket over slowly.

"AW GIVE IT!" Anders exclaimed, pushing the slightly larger man out of the way. He reached inside the basket, pulling out the young ball of fluff, cradling it against his chest. "This is so romantic, Love! Thank you!"

 _Andraste, I am so good at thi-No! This isn't supposed to be how it is_! "Anders, that thing is not a gift. He's a saboteur, and he should pay for his crimes."

"But I want him," the mage said, large honey-colored eyes fixed right on Hawke's. His bottom lip began to work its magic.

"No, no, Anders!" the warrior said, turning his gaze to the agouti furball. "Rabbits do not normally eat lobster, and therefore, this one is evolving into something horrific. I will not have that in my home. Besides, he belongs here with his delinquent friends that just ran off without him."

"Then he deserves better friends," Anders responded. "And if he's acquiring a taste for flesh, we could potentially use him in battle."

"That sounds so stupid that I'm surprised I didn't say it," Hawke said, gently lifting the rabbit from his lover's arms. "But if you'd like, we can come back here from time to time to set a lobster trap. And hopefully he will come, and we can be reunited."

The mage smiled weakly and stroked the long ears of his new friend. "Alright. Bye, Seneschal Cottontail."

"If we ever decide to bring children into our lives, you're not allowed to name them." And with that, Hawke released the small lagomorph, and it darted away into the nearby brush.

"A picnic in the forest was a very sweet idea, Archie. Incredibly romantic even," Anders reassured the other man as they turned their gaze from the path of the rabbit to one another. "And I think we still have some bread and cheese left over from what we had on the way over here."

Hawke smiled. _Fuck I'm good at this; even when things go wrong, I still come out like I'm the King of Romance. It's almost not fair that I've honed all these skills while others have no clue; I should teach lessons and help the less fortunate._ "Well, it's certainly not lobster, but it will have to do." He reached into his pack and pulled out the remaining food for the two of them to share on the blanket. Luckily, the bottle of white wine had been left untouched by the pesky forest creatures. While this particular wine would have gone far better with the planned meal, it was still a welcomed addition to the mundane current entrée.

"I do appreciate you thinking of the lobster, Archer. I know how you hate it," Anders said before taking a bite of sourdough.

"Their eyes, Anders. I don't know how you can stand it."

"I just look at the other end."

"You were always an arse man."

 

***

By the time they exited the forest, the sun was just starting to go down. Hawke was thrilled that it seemed that he had not gotten them lost this time; they were met with the beautiful sight of a still lake before a mountainous backdrop. And just to their right sat a small building, smoke billowing from a chimney. The sign on the door read 'The Prancing Pony Inn'. Anders snaked his right arm around the warrior's middle as they took in the sight. He leaned his head over to rest on the other man's shoulder and sighed.

"You thought of everything, didn't you?" the mage asked.

"I may have had a little help," the warrior admitted. He kissed the top of the blonde's head. "Not much though; just the unimportant details."

"I do have a bone to pick with you though," Anders said, voice changing from swooning to stern. "It took us all day to get here. And that means it will take another whole day to get back. Therefore, this romantic day will turn into romantic days, and I don't really have time for that."

"It's a little late to go back on it all now," Hawke responded. "Besides, we're not even halfway done. And when we are, you're never going to want to go back. So right now, you go hang out by the water and I'm going to make sure everything is set up for us tonight."

"Why can't I come with you?"

"Boat ride, Darling."

The mage raised an eyebrow. "Well that just answers everything. Take my staff then." The warrior grabbed the staff from him and quickly ran inside the inn. The blonde took a deep breath, enjoying the air and the gentle breeze. He walked over to the dock where a small wooden boat was being tied too. Inspecting the boat, he decided that it probably big enough to handle people far heavier than he and his lover. _Two grown men in a tiny boat; I'm just glad our friends aren't here to see this._

"Are you sure about this?"

"What's not to be sure about?"

"It just doesn't seem like something you'd like to do," Anders replied, turning to the warrior after he'd finally made his way back from the inn. He had changed out of his armor and into a pair of black trousers and deep blue shirt that complemented his eyes.

"We've been together how long now, and you don't realize that I, Archer Hawke, love boat rides at dusk?"

The mage smiled. He wasn't exactly sure how true that was, but it was possible. They'd been together for well over half a year, but each man still had things that they didn't share with the other; boat rides just might be one of them. "Well, let me at least take my coat off then so I don't ruin it when you inevitably splash water on me."

"I'd never," the warrior responded with a sly smile. "And why don't you keep removing the clothes after that nasty old thing; a naked boat ride sounds even better."

"Hm," Anders hummed, thinking to himself. "I do like the thought of watching your muscles contract as you row. But I'd rather not strip; there are bugs and things that might be attracted to my blood and flesh."

"They won't be the only thing attracted to your…well, at least your flesh. Suit yourself," Archer said, stripping off his clothes as fast as he could. Once his boots and socks were off, he jumped in the boat. "Come on, let's go already, mage!"

Anders' eyes grew wide as he watched the other man. He hadn't expected him to do it, especially with people just meters away at the inn. But he looked over to the dimly lit building and contemplated just how safe it would be. Turning back to the warrior, he smiled as he saw the light of the moon shine against his statuesque body. He held oars in each hand, gently placing the tips of the blades down into the water, and then he looked back to his lover with a smile that made the mage weak in the knees. _Alright, the clothes are coming off._ He quickly rid himself of all his remaining clothes and threw them in a pile with Hawke's. Carefully, he stepped into the boat and sat on the seat opposite of his lover.

"We're going to naked boat ride every time we come out here to see that rabbit," the warrior stated as he began to row the boat out towards the middle of the lake. "How about you suck my dick while I get us out there?"

Anders laughed. "And here I thought you were supposed to be romancing _me._

Hawke looked at him like he'd just said the stupidest thing in the world. "Uh, I am, Darling. It's no secret that you can't get enough it, so I'm willing to let that happen. Allowing your lover to have the time of his life is all part of that. I'm selfless, really."

"I'd consider it if you were actually knew how to steer a boat." The mage looked around. "You've just taken us to the other side of the dock."

"Ok, I'll add this to the list of things I can't do. It's only four things now, so I'm still pretty remarkable." Hawke handed the oars over to Anders who promptly started moving them in the right directions. "I just think someone's dick needs to get sucked," he added, licking his lips as he looked between the mage's legs.

"Perhaps once I get out there," Anders said with a smile. "I feel like I'm drunk whenever you do that, and it's certainly not safe to be the captain of a ship in that condition. People die every year from such things."

"Right you are, Captain Anders," Hawke said as he leaned back and watched night sky completely swallow the sun. "You're very knowledgeable about the world, and I like that about you. In fact, there are a lot of things I like about you."

"Is that so?" the mage asked, drawing the warrior's attention back to him. "What, like my arse?"

"Oh, Maker, yes," Hawke said with a smile. "Everything about your body is appealing to me."

"Well, you're not so bad yourself."

"Yeah I know, I'm ridiculously good looking," the warrior said. "But I'm being serious. It's not just something physical for me."

Anders had finally gotten them out to the center of the lake, and he carefully pulled the oars inside the boat with them. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "I know that, Love. You also keep me around because I can heal your wounds. I honestly don't know how you would have survived all this time had Bethany never learned any healing magic."

"Anders, shut your deliciously pretty mouth and let me finish! Please," the warrior pleaded. "You just mean so much to me, and I'm trying really hard here." The mage was silent, allowing him to continue. He took a moment to gather his thoughts and began to speak again. "I love how the only places on your body with freckles are the back of your right hand and at the place where the inside of your left leg meets your pelvis. And how your nose is just a little too long for your face, but it is somehow just so, so right."

The mage bit his bottom lip and lightly touched his nose. Anders had always hated it and had, at times, been ridiculed about it back as a child in the Circle. He had since grown into it a lot better, but it was still something he didn't love about himself.

"And, the way you eat," Hawke continued, looking off into the distance with a smile. "You only chew food on the right side of your mouth. Then there's the way you pet Dog when you think no one is looking."

"I do nothing of the sort," Anders corrected.

"Oh, bullshit," the warrior said with a small chuckle. "Just because you're a cat person doesn't mean you have to continue on acting like you hate dogs."

"I do hate dogs. But Dog is a _Mabari_ , Love. That's different, or so you tell me."

"What I love the absolute most about you though," he continued, ignoring the other man, "more than your body or the sex or those fucking boots you wear all the time, is how passionate you are. You do nothing half-arsed. You put your heart and soul into everything you do, be it dealing with the mages or healing everyone or being my partner. You're strong and loyal, and I'm lucky to have you in my life."

The mage could hardly think of something to say. He'd expected that the warrior was going to put some effort into trying to be romantic, but he never expected _this._ "Who are you, and what have you done with my Archer?"

Hawke groaned. "You know I don't usually do that sort of thing, but, it's in me, deep down inside. I'm romantic as fuck, Darling. Now let me at you so I can lick your nose!" Finding himself in a fit of passion, he moved from his spot far too quickly, and, in having all the weight the boat supported shifted to one side, promptly caused Anders to fall out and into the water with a massive splash. The warrior on the other hand, managed to stay in the boat and he frantically searched around for the other man in the dark.

"Oh fucking Andraste, Anders! YOU'RE TOO YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL TO DIE!" With that, he dove out of the boat and into the water. He quickly bumped into the mage, latched onto him, and started to swim towards the shore."

"Archer, what are you doing?" the mage yelled after spitting out some water that he had in his mouth.

"I'm saving you," the warrior answered as he struggled to move them both towards land. "Mages don't swim; it's a fact! I won't lose you. Hold on, Darling...stay out of the light!"

Anders struggled against the other man and finally got the warrior to stop. "If I couldn't swim, how did I get all the fucking way across Lake Calenhad to escape the Circle Tower so many times?"

The warrior let go of him and they both worked to keep themselves afloat. "I naturally assumed that it was magic. Now come on, swim champ, it's so cold I can feel my balls retreating inside of me." He started swimming for the edge of the lake, and the mage followed close behind. They both climbed up onto the dock and grabbed their shirts to use as towels.

"What about the boat?" the shivering mage asked.

"Fuck the boat. It knew what this was."

Both men put on their clothes, leaving the shirts out on the dock to hopefully dry by mid-morning when they would tentatively leave to return back to Kirkwall. But, to the warrior's mixed feelings of joy and apprehension, it was finally time to get to what they had actually come out here for – Anders' crazy manifesto fantasy. When they were traveling this morning and there was a lull in the conversation, Hawke would nervously go over it in his mind; things he needed to do and say. It was all up there, in his mind, but he was unsure if he would be able to have that head control him rather than the one between his legs. _Either way, that cock-hungry mage of mine won't know what hit him._

"This is disturbingly familiar."

The lovers had finally made their way to the inn and entered to find a large room filled with square tables, a long bar, and a near dozen people who all turned to look at them upon entering. A staircase was found towards the back of the room and led up to a mezzanine and a series of hallways and rooms.

"Oh, come on, Anders. There probably aren't any prostitutes here," the warrior reassured him. "But they are eyeing us like they always do at the Rose. Oh, look – they're checking out my pecs." He pat the mage on the back and started walking over to the stairs, but he stopped briefly in front of a table of middle-aged women. "Ladies," he said with a smirk and waggling brow.

"You probably could have flexed a little more, Love," Anders murmured as they began to climb the stairs.

Hawke stopped once they got to the top and turned to face the blonde. "I just gave them the highlight of their year, or perhaps, lives. How many people can say that they've seen me shirtless and taut and-"

"Far more than I would like," the mage interrupted.

 _Fuck, fuck, fix this. Say something incredibly romantic and sweep him off his crazy mage feet._ "Excuse me, everyone," Hawke nearly shouted over the railing. Every pair of eyes shot up to him atop the mezzanine. "I just want to apologize in advance for any noise we might be making later on." He gripped Anders by the shoulder and pulled him so that he was in better view. "My boyfriend – nay – soul mate, and I are going to be making some sweet, excruciatingly loud love tonight. And please avert your eyes from my broad and perfect chest; it is only for him to see." He turned around to look at the blonde whose jaw had seemed to have hit the floor, mimicking that of just about every patron of the establishment. "Better?"

"I should know by now to never be shocked by anything you say or do. It never fails to be wildly inappropriate," the mage admitted. "But somehow, I'm almost always caught off guard."

"I suppose I'm just willing to say what others won't," the warrior said with a smile. He started to lead Anders to their room for the night, just down the hall, last door on the left.

"I love you for it," Anders said as they walked. "And I really love everything you've done. I know I haven't said much, but I'm having a bit of trouble processing it all. You put a lot of thought into everything, and, despite the few things that went awry, I really appreciate it." He leaned in towards the warrior and planted a single kiss on his left temple just as they reached their room.

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I still have one more thing for you though that I think you might like." He opened the door and let Anders walk through.

"Love, what is the rule about candles?

"Oh come now," Hawke responded. "They're far enough from the bed that I won't set the canopy on fire by kicking one."

It was a modest room, not nearly as large as their bedchamber back at the estate, but it was far more exquisite than one might picture belonging inside a small inn located in the middle of nowhere. The room was adorned with dozens of candles that illuminated a large, four-poster bed (sans flammable canopy) sitting at the back. In one corner, Anders' staff and Hawke's blade sat together, and the warrior's small pack and armor were placed neatly on the floor in front of them.

"So that other thing is just sex then?" Anders asked with a smile.

"Something like that," Hawke said, pulling the mage into his arms after he shut the door. He pressed their lips together and kissed his lover roughly.

The mage slid his hands up his lover's back and into his thick black hair, kissing him between sentences. "It's not that I don't love the thought of that. I just don't know why you had us come all the way out here. We do this every night. Not that all the other things weren't wonderfully thought out and romantic."

"The point was to get you away from everything, and to have a good time to take your mind off of things. And I guarantee you, this is going to be a very good time."

Anders pulled back to get a better look at the other man. "So, since this was all about romancing me, do I get to choose what to do? Anything I want?"

Hawke started to work on the buckles and straps of the mage's robe to get him undressed. "In a matter of speaking, yes. What you want is to do what I want, is it not? To please me; submit to me."

The mage moved his shoulders and arms, helping the warrior pull off his robe, exposing the bare skin beneath. Large, calloused hands moved down to his trousers and worked on the laces. "I-yes, I do want to do whatever you want, Love. You always pick something I love anyway."

Hawke had the other man step out of his boots and trousers, and then he pulled down on his smallclothes, allowing the mage's hardening length to be free of its cloth prison. "Tonight will be no exception, Darling." He grasped onto the shaft, tugging on it slightly, and felt it grow to its full size. The mage tensed under his grip and gasped, eyes focusing right onto the other man's. "Now get on the bed and stroke yourself for me."

Once the warrior had released his hold, Anders stepped out of his smalls and quickly got up onto the bed, situating himself in the center. He looked over at the other man, awaiting further instruction, but instead, nothing was said to him. Hawke slowly took off his boots and socks, and carried them over to his pack. He set them carefully on the ground and crouched to search through is things.

"You know what else I love you about you, Anders?"

"What's that, Love?" the blonde asked between moans. His right hand was gripped tight onto his shaft, and he worked his length from base to tip at a moderate pace.

"I love that you're a mage," the warrior told him while rooting through his pack. "You've got this ability that most people don't; you can create things, bend elements to your will. You're strong and dangerous."

Anders opened his mouth to protest that last word, but he was cut off before he'd even uttered a sound.

"But you're not just a mage, are you? You're an apostate – a rouge mage, and you've fled to live as a fugitive. You've been living in Kirkwall, free for so long, watching behind your back to make sure no one tried to bring you back. You decided for yourself that no one would ever show you just how bad you've been." He got up after collecting a few items and looked at the mage, a taut braided rope stretched between his hands. "But I think that bad apostates must be punished."

The blonde bit his lower lip in an attempt to keep himself from smiling. His hand had slowed as he made sure his focus was primarily on the other man. "And are you supposed to be a Templar, sent from the Circle to teach me my lesson? Come to oppress me further and have your way with me?"

"I intend to have my way with you, yes," the warrior said as he climbed up on the bed in front of the other man. He kept the rope in one hand and pulled a small glass vial of oil from his trouser pocket and set it near the other man's feet. "I'm certainly no Templar; just a fellow supporter of mages who thinks all things deserve justice. All peoples should be free, and all people need to pay for their crimes."

The mage wasn't exactly sure where his lover was going with this, but he didn't seem to care either. Everything about this – the look in Hawke's eyes, his tone of voice, and that sweet bulge straining against his trousers – was sending what little blood he had remaining down to his throbbing length. His movements began to quicken until his hand was batted away forcefully by the other man. Anders' eyes darted up to look at him as he was grasped under his arms and pulled towards the bed's slatted headboard. Looming over him, the warrior took the rope in his hands and started to tightly wrap it around one of his wrists. The mage struggled against him, knowing that putting up a fight would be exactly what the other man wanted; he grunted and pulled, kicking out in an attempt to gain control. But the other man was stronger and shifted his weight to trap the flailing legs all while binding his wrists and securing them to one of the strong bars of the headboard.

Hawke leaned down to lick a long line up Anders's throat and when he spoke, hot breathe seared against that skin. "A wise man once told me that Andraste suffered at the hands of magisters. And now, you'll suffer at mine."

Anders instantly stopped struggling and raised his eyebrow as he looked at the other man. "Wait? We're doing this?"

"Isn't that what you want?" Hawke asked, eyes fixed on those of the other man. He pressed his body down, grazing the mage's cock with the rough material of his trousers.

"Maker, yes," the mage said as more of a moan than actual words. "I just thought that you thought it was stupid; you never said anything about it again so I figured we'd never do it because you weren't comfortable with it."

"Well happy Romantic Extravaganza Manifesto Sex Night," he said with a smile before leaning down to kiss his bound lover. "Just bear with me through it. Play along with me; it needs to be perfect for you."

"It's already perfect," Anders said softly, kissing his lover's cheek.

The warrior moved to plant his lips against the other man's neck. He sucked and grazed his teeth against the skin, moving up from near his clavicle to the sensitive area just behind his ear. He licked the shell of his ear and spoke softly. "Are you ready to be punished, apostate? Ready for me to teach you that it's not alright to run away?"

The mage tried his hardest not to smile, needing to hold back his complete and utter joy to pretend he didn't want it. "My punishment is the oppression against my people. I bear the burden of each and every mage, be they apostate or not." He yelped out and moaned loudly as he felt teeth slam down where he'd just felt the slickness of the other man's tongue. He groaned out and spoke between clenched teeth. "Nothing you could do to me could possibly compare to the things we face – the torture from Templars, the devastation of being ripped from your mother's arms." He struggled against the other man, pulling at the rope so hard that it began to fray.

"As I already said, I sympathize." Hovering over him, Hawke grabbed onto his chin, positioning his head so he could look nowhere but straight at the warrior. "But no matter how strong you _think_ you are, you'll be begging for more." He planted a rough kiss on the mage's mouth and took the bottom lip into his mouth as he drew back, sucking and nibbling.

Anders couldn't help but whimper; every move the warrior made, every word he spoke, had him nearly writhing with pleasure. His only saving grace was that he could easily pass this off as struggling. But he couldn't help but feel like he was about to face torture. With his wrists bound and legs pinned, he had little contact with his lover, and he was dying for more. "You say you sympathize, but you know nothing of what we go through. To punish me is to be against my cause; you're no different from _them._ "

"Oh, but that's not true," Hawke said, lifting his upper body so that he straddled the other man's waist, legs wrapped firmly against his lover's so he couldn't move or kick out at him, as he seemed to be struggling to do. He placed his large hands against the mage's chest, slowly working his palms down with fingers bent ever-so slightly to have his nails dig into the pale flesh, marking him with parallel red lines. "It is no secret what goes on both inside and out of the Circle. You are oppressed, made to feel inferior. And that stems from the fear of men, not the will of the Maker." As the mage squirmed and struggled, the warrior moved back some, allowing himself more room to dip down and tongue along the marks he'd left. Anders' hissed in pain, but quickly replaced such sounds with a moan as the other man latched onto his right nipple with his wet mouth.

"They fear us – _fuck_ – because they do not understand us. Andraste fought for – oh _Maker's breath_ – the freedom of those who were oppressed as seen by-" he moaned, cutting off his own words and allowed Hawke to finish for him once he released the mangled nipped from his teeth.

"She sought to free slaves, so similar to what you are. Isn't that right, apostate? Aren't Circle mages just slaves, bending to the will of those who fear you to keep your lives?" He moved lower with his lips and hands and teeth, claiming the flesh below him as his own. The mage writhed blow him, pressing his trapped erection up against the other man's own clothed length. But the warrior paid no attention, and moved slower, teasing and nipping at the sweet skin.

"And if this is what you believe, how could you fault me for escaping; demanding a better life?" Anders asked, straining to kick out with his legs, still trapped by the weight of the other man. "I will not submit myself to the terrors that occur behind those walls where they subject us to torture and abuse and rituals that no person should have to go through. We are no more of a danger to them as anyone else is, but we can become one when driven to. They fear we will resort to forbidden magics – blood magic, shape-shifting – just to have our freedom."

Hawke finally moved his body down enough to kneel between his lover's legs, hands working down past his navel to his hips. His lips grazed a path close to the blonde's erection, but never made it quite there. The warrior hovered over the length, so close that any sudden jerking movement from the mage could result in contact, but his hands grasped firmly onto hips, allowing for no such thing. His breath was hot against the sensitive skin, and the mage could feel the moisture against him as the other man spoke.

"I agree that they drive your kind to do such things; oh, how I ironic that seems to be. They fear you will submit to the temptation, and that is why they have the Harrowing ritual, barbaric as it may be. But they seem to forget that it is not just mages who encounter temptation from time to time." He moved his gaze from his lover's loins up to his eyes. The need to resist, to play the game was there. But the dilation of his pupils, that black desire in those honey orbs, screamed out in desperation. The warrior licked his lips, sticking his tongue out just enough so that the tip found skin. "All men can succumb to temptation."

Anders bit back a moan and tensed around the ropes that bound him. He wanted nothing more than for Hawke's wet, full lips to take hold of him, but he knew he'd be better rewarded for resisting a bit more. "I-I suppose that's true," he said weakly, eyes focused on the lips he so desperately desired.

"And what of you, apostate?" His breath was so hot that it seared the sensitive skin near his lips. "What temptations do you face?"

"I am tempted to do whatever it takes to have the same rights as any other person."

"Yes, but that's not all that tempts you, does it? You're lying here, trapped and bound by me, and you struggle, yes. But you're hard as a rock, aren't you, you filthy little mage? Look at the pool of fluid leaking from your cock. It's throbbing; I can practically hear your heartbeat being so close." The warrior nudged the hot flesh with his nose and lips, far too briefly for the whimpering mage. "But you like me being this close. You like being bound to submit to my will." He flattened his tongue and quickly ran it along his lover's length from base to tip, dipping down to his abdomen to lap up the drops that had accumulated near the other man's navel.

Before the mage barely had the chance to utter a sound, the other man was over him, thrusting his tongue into his mouth and coating his own tongue with the taste of himself. He writhed and bucked his hips, moaning against his lover's lips.

"Tell me you want it," the warrior demanded between rough, heated kisses.

The mage's mouth was far too consumed, completely dominated, to be able to reply. But he did his best to shake his head back and forth, not willing to let him have it just yet.

Hawke pulled away and stared him straight in the eyes. "You're lying to yourself if you think you can resist me. You're strong enough to resist the temptations that the Templars and non-mage population fear, but you're weak and under my control now – you may be protesting in your mind, but your body wants it, _needs_ it." He then moved off of the other man, releasing his grip around his legs, and moved to the edge of the bed to get his trousers and smalls off. But the mage, still determined to put up a fight, kicked out at him, grazing the warrior's thigh.

"Hey now, too close!" Hawke warned. Anders couldn't help but chuckle, that having not been his intention. But he quickly composed himself, bringing back his role as an oppressed, trapped apostate.

Hawke, now fully undressed, moved back over the other man and took hold of his chin. "Maybe you're too stubborn to tell me what you want, but you can't hide from yourself the fact that you want my cock in your mouth." He traced his thumb across the blonde's bottom lip. "Don't deny that you want it; it will be so much easier."

Anders had to draw every ounce of strength not to take his lover's thumb into his mouth and suck on it like the cock he so desperately desired. But he could hold back a bit longer, at least he told himself that he could. "I-the only thing I desire is freedom for mages."

The warrior leaned back, supporting all of his weight on his knees as he straddled the other man's waist. He took his hard flesh into his hand, pulling it away from his abdomen, and slowly stroked it up and down. Looking the other man in the eyes, he said, "So you're to tell me that you don't want _this_ between those nasty apostate lips of yours? You don't want me to shove it in past teeth and tongue, straight back to your throat and spill my seed?"

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck I want it!_ "I want the right to walk down the street, not fearing that a Templar will come try to take me straight to the Gallows." The mage writhed and pulled against the ropes that bound him. He could feel the heat of the other man, seated upon him, his own length trapped beneath the most sensitive areas of his lover.

Hawke smiled and shook his head as he shifted his body forward, heavy sack sliding against the mage's abdomen and chest. With his right hand, he positioned the tip of his erection so that it just grazed the other man's lips. Resisting was becoming increasingly difficult for Anders; the tip of his tongue, almost unconsciously, snaked out from between his lips to lap up a small drop of pre-ejaculate forming at the slit of his lover's length. The warrior couldn't help but smile. "You may have many purposes in your life – fighting for mage freedom, healing the sick, and defending the oppressed in general. But you were also made to take my cock, in whatever way I so desire."

The mage looked up at him, trying his hardest to form words – something, _anything._ Yet nothing came to mind, not a murmur or a mumble, and especially not a witty retort which he so desperately needed.

"Open your mouth," the warrior demanded. He peered down at the other man who was determined to keep both lips pressed tightly together. Hawke pushed the head at the crease, beckoning him to open up. "You have five seconds to take my dick into your mouth before I force it in." Anders fought back a smile and kept his lips sealed.

Hawke furrowed his brow as the time quickly ran out and reached behind himself with his free hand to grab onto the mage's length. He tugged excruciatingly hard and dug his nails into the sensitive flesh. Anders bucked his hips and moaned out the Maker's name in vain. His lips parted just enough to grant the warrior access, and he shoved his member in until he hit the back of the mage's throat.

The warrior groaned and leaned forward to grab onto the headboard with both hands, supporting himself so he could start to pull his length out and push it back in. He bit back a curse and quickened his pace. "It's such a shame, the things that go on in the Circle. The Rite of Tranquility comes to mind."

Anders was trying his hardest to listen to the other man, but his head was completely swimming. He pulled and tugged against the ropes as he felt the member glide in and out of him effortlessly. Relaxing his throat, he allowed for a little more to enter, wanting to take him all the way to the hilt. But the length was so long, and at this angle, the mage knew he'd never feel the tickle of the warrior's tight curls.

"Just think what it would be like to go through that; lose connection to the fade, lose the ability to have emotions. You'd feel _nothing_ ," the warrior continued as he worked his cock in and out of the mage's mouth. His grip on the headboard tightened, nails digging in and chipping away some of the wood. He groaned softly and spoke again as he looked down at the other man. "To think that you wouldn't be able to feel anything right now as I'm fucking your mouth. Pretend all you want, mage; you fucking love this. You're a cock-sucking apostate, and the lust in your eyes says it all." Hawke shifted himself slightly, changing the angle just enough so he could drive himself in further, burying the mage's nose against his hair and flesh. He moaned over and over until he finally composed himself enough to speak again. "If you were Tranquil, you wouldn't feel these desires you have right now, and how utterly sad that would be. You want me to fill your mouth, don't you? Just nod and my seed is yours."

Anders could hardly think straight but the one thing he knew was that he wanted it. _Bad._ But he found himself physically incapable to nodding with the movements the warrior continued to make.

Hawke quickly withdrew his length, now soaking wet with saliva. He leaned down, forehead nearly pressing against that of the other man, and he hissed out his words. "Tell me you want it, mage. Tell me you want me to make you my bitch and completely coat you in it."

"Oh fuck, I want it! Please I want it so bad. I'm your bitch...your bad apostate that needs to be taught a lesson. Just give it to me, now, Love, please!"

The warrior leaned down to kiss the other man roughly and flashed him a deceivingly reassuring smile. "No," he growled. "Punishment means that you don't get what you want."

"Then I don't want it!" the mage nearly screamed. "Please don't do it; I don't want your cum in my mouth. I don't want you to fuck me!"

Hawke smiled and silenced him with a few fingers over his lips. "It took me longer to break you than I thought it would," he said softly. "And now look at you; blabbering and desperate for it. It's a good look for you." He removed his fingers and moved himself from his position above the mage's chest back to where he was in between his knees. Anders had since given up fighting and therefore, there was no need to restrain his legs. The warrior dipped his head down, taking the blonde's semi-erect member in his mouth and began to suck on it until it reached its full length. When he released it from his mouth, he was met with protesting groans, but he smiled and paid no attention.

"It seems like the only thing you desire in this life now is sexual in nature," the dark-haired man said as he grabbed a pillow to position under the mage's hips.

"Not true," Anders corrected as he lifted his lower half to help the other man. "This is just a temptation of the flesh, something everyone endures. My true desires still remain with freeing mages from the tortures we so often face for just being how we were born."

The warrior slid his hands along the other man's thighs and then finally had them come to rest on each of his arse cheeks. He spread them apart, revealing the pucker of flesh below. "You wish to free them from the horrors that occur in the Circle Tower, just as you have freed yourself?"

The mage moaned as he felt a thumb graze over his sensitive muscle, and he tried his best not to push back. "Everything that occurs there is nothing but unjust and disgusting," he answered.

"Hold on," Hawke said as he leaned his whole upper body off of the bed.

"What are you doing?" Anders asked.

The warrior pulled out his a piece of parchment from his trouser pocket. "I had this great line that I wanted to use, but I can't remember it." He started to read over the list while the mage laughed at him.

"Shut up," Hawke said with a frown as he went back to where he'd just been. "It's a miracle I got this far without forgetting something else. Now let me finish." He sat there for a moment, regaining his thoughts, and then leaned down with his mouth close to the other man's entrance. He gently lapped against the hole a few times, causing the other man to squirm and moan. When he pulled back he said, "You speak of the unjust abuses in the Circle. Well, now I'm going to abuse this circle."

Anders simply could not help himself and burst into laughter at these last words. But he was cut off almost immediately when he felt the tip of his lover's tongue enter him. He moaned and cried the other man's name, and he strained against the ropes in an attempt to push against him.

After a moment of working his tongue in and out of Anders' hole, each time able to penetrate him a little deeper, Hawke pulled away and looked at the writhing man before him. "While I'm doing this, why don't you tell me more about the plight of the mages?"

Anders shook his head and moaned. "I can't, I can't, I can't…"

"You can, and you will" the warrior corrected him. He grabbed onto the mage's erection and worked up and down on the shaft. "If you don't, I'll leave right now. Doesn't the naughty apostate wish to be fucked?"

"No, I do," the blonde whined, thrusting into the circle of the other man's hand. "I can-just give me a second to think. Please keep going. I promise I'll talk."

As soon as Hawke placed his tongue back along his lover's entrance, the mage groaned out in pleasure, and he did his best to form coherent sentences. Neither man was really focusing on what he was saying. Anders wasn't even sure if his comparison of mages to the unfair caste system common in dwarf culture was making any sense at all. But he kept rambling on and on, straining against the ropes and moaning between sentences as he felt the wet heat of his lover's tongue explore his depths.

Hawke finally pulled himself away, wiping his chin, and looking over at the mage. Anders was groaning with his head back, so ready for release that he could hardly stand it. He felt the slightly larger man crawl over him, and he repositioned his head so he could better see his lover. The most deliciously crooked smile was plastered to his face, and the blonde could tell that there were far greater things than he had just felt in store for him.

"I think it's just about time I had my way with you," the warrior said before leaning down to kiss the other man once. "What do you think?"

"I want to touch you," the mage pleaded as he pulled against the ropes with all his might. They could hear the wooden slats of the headboard start to crack under the pressure. As not to ruin the bed, Hawke reached above the other man's head and started to untie the ropes that secured Anders' arms in place.

The blonde, regaining control of his appendages, threw his hands against the other man, gliding along the skin of his chest and up around his neck. He pulled the warrior down against him, pressing their mouths together roughly in an all-consuming kiss. He bucked his hips and writhed against his lover and moaned as he felt a tongue slide between his lips. Large hands crept up his arms and over the bindings still attached to his wrists and pulled his hands away. He groaned out in protest, but his strength could never beat that of a man who made a career out of being strong. Hawke pulled his arms back above his head and tied the ropes to another set of slats that hadn't yet been abused.

"Bad apostates who are being punished do not get to touch unless they are instructed to," Hawke said sternly. Anders frowned but nodded, accepting what his lover had said. He knew he'd at least be able to hold him all through the night until the warrior inevitably fell off the bed.

The warrior moved back down once more to be between the mage's legs and grabbed the small vial of oil he'd set near the end of the bed. He held it up for the other man to see. "I'm not sure how much I should use on you. You've just been so bad – running away from the Circle like that – that I'm almost convinced I shouldn't use any."

"Just a little…it doesn't have to be a lot. Please just fuck me," the mage begged.

"Only a little?" He set down the vial and grasped the other man's legs, pulling them up to rest his calves on the warrior's shoulders. Taking the vial in hand, he uncorked it with his thumb and then brought it to his lover's entrance. He tipped it just so, allowing a single drop of the viscous fluid into the other man. Anders shuddered as he felt it slide down inside him. "More?" the warrior asked. The mage nodded furiously until a few more drops were offered.

Hawke set down the recorked vial and positioned himself at his lover's entrance. "You want it, mage?"

"Fuck, yes please…"

"Beg for it."

"Archie, please just fuck me already! I'm dying here!" He was whining at this point, all self-control thrown to the wind.

Hawke smiled and leaned to the left to kiss his lover's shin. He held onto his hips tight while the head of his erection sat unmoving right where it was destined to be buried. "You think I'm about to give in that easily? You need to pull yourself together and tell me just how bad you want it. Tell me how you've been bad and how you deserve to be fucked so hard that you'll be sore for days."

Anders groaned and struggled, trying his hardest to move his body, now in such an awkward position with his legs up high and his arse off the bed, so that at least the head would enter him. He peered up at the other man, completely desperate. "Oh please, Love, fuck me. I've been bad…so fucking bad. I left and I run away from things and my responsibilities, so I _need_ to be punished. I need to be fucked until I can't see straight. Until it hurts. Until I'm filled so completely by you that I'll never be able to stand to be empty again. Fuck me, now, Archer, please!"

That put a huge smile on the warriors face, and he pulled his hips back so he could thrust in as hard as he possibly could. Yet his motion was cut off by the mage calling out to him.

"Wait, wait! Aren't you going to say it?

"What?" Hawke said with a frown. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Don't you remember?" Anders asked with pleading eyes. "About the magic being a gift and-"

"Oh, oh!" the dark-haired man exclaimed in recollection. He nodded and pulled his hips back as he had before, ready to move in. "Mage's gifts are granted by the Maker, and now I'm going to gift you with my cock!" He pushed forward, entering the mage harder than he ever had before, and beckoned groans and yells from the both of them. He worked his way into a rough, steady rhythm where his hips slammed down onto his lover's arse with each thrust inward.

"Y-you forgot – _Maker_ – the part about your cock being – _oh fucking void_ – thick and throbbing," Anders struggled to get out.

"That part was implied," Hawke grunted through clenched teeth. He felt like he'd never been buried this deep inside the mage, and all the warmth and tightness was completely consuming him. Each time he moved, he pulled himself out until only the tip remained inside the other man, and then he slammed back down with all his might. The mage writhed and bucked below him, nearly howling when his prostate was grazed.

Minutes passed and the warrior occasionally blurted something out about mages or oppression to keep it going, but neither man could hear the words, drowned out by the slapping of flesh on flesh. And certainly no one could hear him over the mage's yells as his release tore through him, spraying so it hit his chest and neck. He groaned as the warrior continued to thrust in, but he felt him slow and pull his legs from off his strong, muscular shoulders. Hawke, length still buried deep into the other man, carefully placed his lover's legs against the bed and leaned over him, his movements growing slower and gentler. He lapped up his lover's seed on his chest and neck and pressed his mouth firmly against the blonde's slightly parted lips. Each man moaned and battled each other with their tongues as Hawke continued to work in and out of the other man until, finally, he came to his own release, coating the farthest reaches of the mage.

The warrior collapsed, body pressed firmly against that of the other man, and he fought to catch his breath. Anders gathered every ounce of strength he had to ask him to untie his wrists, and Hawke obliged once he'd found some strength of his own. A quick healing spell was all the mage needed to remove the red abrasions on his skin, left by his binds. He wrapped his arms around the warrior, head still swimming with lust and passion, leaving him with absolutely no words.

Neither man bothered to clean up or utter a word for the rest of the evening, and they quickly fell asleep in each other's arms. And, surprising to both men, they woke up that way as well, Archer not winding up on the floor somehow. Also to the warrior's delight, none of the candles had happened to set the place on fire. _Add that one to the insanely long list of 'Archer wins'._

The following day was spent, not making the long journey back to Kirkwall, but in the comfortable bed in the modest room of the inn. Anders felt, more than ever, he was doing the right thing with his life and he'd be better for it after he was rested. Hawke too, who had always supported the mage, seemed to sympathize a little more after they played the fantasy out. But what he was more sure of than anything was just how lucky he was to have found a partner that would put up with him, indulge him in the things he liked to do, and even made him try a few new things every once and a while.


End file.
